Twee mannen 1836 - 1900

This small print, ‘Two Men,’ was made by Elchanon Verveer, sometime in the 19th century. Its medium is etching, a printmaking technique that uses acid to corrode the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in the metal. The etcher then applies ink to the plate and wipes the surface clean, leaving ink in the incisions. The plate and a sheet of paper are then put through a high-pressure printing press, resulting in the transfer of the image. As you can see in the work, these prints feature fine lines and detailing. In its time, this method was relatively low-cost and facilitated broader circulation. While it still demanded considerable skill, etching opened up image-making to a wider field of practitioners. This is a far cry from painting, with its aura of uniqueness, and brings art closer to the world of labor and mass production.