Handwerkende vrouw 1873 - 1937

Coenraad Matthias Garms created this etching, titled "Handwerkende Vrouw", or "Crafting Woman," using metal and acid. The etching process involves drawing with a needle on a metal plate coated with wax. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating an image. What is compelling here is how Garms’ use of line emphasizes the woman’s laboring hands. See how they’re positioned, caught in a moment of creation, their texture and form rendered in the cross-hatching? This highly skilled, labor-intensive process, traditionally associated with printmaking, stands in contrast to the implied labor of the woman herself. It makes us consider the value of work, and the representation of working-class subjects in art. Garms asks us to elevate the everyday, and in doing so, challenges the traditional hierarchy between fine art and craft.