The Woods at L'Hermitage, Pontoise 1879

Camille Pissarro made this softground etching called *The Woods at L'Hermitage, Pontoise* with a metal plate covered in a waxy ground. To create the composition, Pissarro drew through this ground with a hard tool, exposing the metal beneath. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink was applied to the plate, filling these etched lines. Finally, damp paper was pressed against the plate, transferring the ink and creating the print we see here. What is striking is the quality of the line, which is soft and blurry and which gives the image a sense of depth. Though Pissarro is best known as a painter, prints like this one allowed him to explore tonal effects, and to disseminate his vision to a wider public, in a way that paintings never could. It's a beautiful testament to the power of process.