Etching

Rembrandt Preaching of Christ Etching, dry needle, cutter, 28.2x39.5 cm, 1648

Ofort ( fr. Eau-forte - nitric acid, literally - “strong water”), also aquaforte ( ital. Acquaforte ) - a type of metal engraving, an easel graphic technique of intaglio printing, allowing to get prints from printed forms (“boards”), in the process of creating images on which the surface is etched with acids. Known since the beginning of the XVI century. Albrecht Dürer , Jacques Callot , Rembrandt and many others worked in the etching technique. ^[one]

Content

History

Daniel Hopfer . Three Landsknecht . XVI century.

The first dated prints from steel etched boards belong to the years 1501 - 1507 - the work of Daniel Hopfer, a master from Augsburg . At about the same time, the Swiss carver and engraver U. Graf performed several etchings, the most famous of which dates back to 1513 . In 1515 - 1518, Albrecht Dürer created six etchings on steel boards, including his famous "Big Cannon". ^[one]

Technique

For the manufacture of the printing plate, the metal plate is covered with acid-resistant varnish , on which the engraving pattern is scratched with special tools. The plate is then placed in an acid, which etches the metal in areas exposed to lacquer. After etching, the remaining varnish is removed from the plate. Before printing, ink is applied to the plate, and then the smooth surface of the printing form is cleaned of it, as a result of which the ink is retained only in the etched depressions. When printing this ink from the recessed printing elements is transferred to the paper. Thus, etching is a type of gravure printing .

Etched bar - metal engraving , etching style , also called stroke, needle, pure, classical or even simple etching . Technologically, it is the main one in this type of easel graphics of intaglio printing , since even at the expense of relatively simple preparatory work, drawing a picture on a metal board with fairly simple tools and, most importantly, etching, this technique in prints makes it possible to achieve a very capacious valer variety giving all, rich means of expression, both in the nature of the lines, and in the texture , the tonal depth of a wide range.

Non-toxic appliances

At the end of the 20th century, growing concern about the effects of acids and solvents on the health of artists and printers working in this technique led to the development of less toxic etching techniques ^[2] . An early innovation was the use of polisher wax as a solid base for coating the plate, and later, for the same purpose, acrylates ^[3] .

Etching Masters

Wilhelm Leybl . Portrait of the mother of Gertrude Leibl. Etching, 16.5x15 cm, 1879

Albrecht Durer
Harmens Rembrandt
Salvator Rosa
Jacques Callot
G.F. Zakharov
E.P. Chemesov
Francisco Goya
Georg Emanuel Opitz
Theophil Steinlen
A.L. Zorn
Vasily Mate
Kete Kolwitz
Elizaveta Krasnushkina
G.S. Vereisky
Dmitry Mitrokhin
Giorgio morandi
V.M. Zvontsov
I.I. Shishkin
Salvador Dali
Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix
Yuri Yakovenko
Boris Frantsuzov
Sergey Balenok

Notes

↑ ¹ ² Zvontsov V., Shistko V. Etching. Equipment. Story. SPb .: Avrora, 2004 ISBN 5-7300-0717-5
↑ Environmental Health & Safety. Stction 13: Lithography and Relief Printing / Princeton University.
↑ Table of traditional etching methods, electrolytic and electrochemical methods / Green Art Guide.

Literature

Zvontsov V., Shistko V. Etching. Equipment. Story. St. Petersburg: Aurora, 2004 ISBN 5-7300-0717-5

[zvon-1] ¹ ² Zvontsov V., Shistko V. Etching. Equipment. Story. SPb .: Avrora, 2004 ISBN 5-7300-0717-5

[2] Environmental Health & Safety. Stction 13: Lithography and Relief Printing / Princeton University.

[3] Table of traditional etching methods, electrolytic and electrochemical methods / Green Art Guide.