Venus en Adonis 1559

Giulio Sanuto made this print, Venus and Adonis, sometime in the late 16th century. It’s made using an engraving technique, where lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. The process gives the image a remarkable graphic clarity. Look closely, and you can see the dense network of lines that create the forms and textures. Notice how the engraver varied the depth and thickness of the lines to create areas of light and shadow. Think about the skill involved here, and how much work this entailed. Engraving was a highly prized skill, valued for its precision and capacity to reproduce images. Prints like this one played a vital role in disseminating artistic ideas across Europe. The lines are not just a means of describing the scene, but a record of skilled labor, a tangible connection to the hand of the artist. Considering prints such as this, we realize that so-called 'fine art' and 'craft' are much closer than we often think.