Monday, March 28, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
George Fennel Robson
George Fennel Robson, 1788-1833, 'Lochan-Y-Gar', Scenery of the Grampian Mountains, 1814, Aquatint.
George Fennel Robson, 1788-1833, 'Ben Ledi', Scenery of the Grampian Mountains, 1814, Aquatint.
John Ruskin, Thomas Goff Lupton, 'The Lombard Apennine' 1856, Etching and Mezzotint.
John Ruskin, Thomas Goff Lupton, Thomas Shotter Boys, 'St George of the Seaweed' 1856, Etching and Mezzotint.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Jacob George Strutt, 1784 - 1867, The Yew Tree at Ankerwyke, 1840, Etching
Thomas Creswick
Richard Parkes Bonington
David Charles Read
Thomas Shotter Boys, from 'Original views of London as it is'
Thomas Shotter Boys 1803-1874, Entry to the Strand from Charing Cross, 1842, Lithograph.
Thomas Shotter Boys 1803-1874 Piccadilly looking towards the City, 1842, Lithograph.
Thomas Shotter Boys 1803-1874 London Bridge from Southwark Bridge, 1842, Lithograph.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Samuel Palmer, the 'Ancients' and Visionary Landscape.
Samuel Palmer 1805-1881, Opening the Fold or Early Morning, 1880. Etching.
Samuel Palmer 1805-1881, The Homeward Star, 1880. Etching completed by his son.
Whereas as many of the artists represented here were interpreting the landscape in very literal ways, Samuel Palmer shows us in his etchings a visionary interpretation of landscape. The artists associated with a group that called themselves ‘The Ancient’s’, not only looked back to the prolific artists of the early Renaissance but looked into themselves to produce a visionary perception of landscape. Implied also is the looking back to a better age, away from the burgeoning Industrial Revolution. The seminal and most influential artist of this group was William Blake whose work is include here; Blake was devoted to the art of printmaking throughout his life. Palmer, was profoundly influenced by Blake's ideas and philosophy. Samuel Palmer's etchings inevitably take us to the dawn and twilight of the day and give us a sense of an ethereal, mystical and contemplative world.
William Blake 1757 - 1827, The Persian, the Sun and the Cloud, 1793, Etching and Engraving.
William Bell Scott
William Bell Scott 1811 - 1890, And the waters prevailed, 1878, Etching.
William Bell Scott
Francis Seymour Haden and the etching revival.
Francis Seymour Haden was an English Surgeon, best known as an etcher and the foremost exponent of the etching revival in England. He became president of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers. He studied and collected the etched work of Rembrandt and collaborated with his brother-in-law James McNiell Whistler, a major force in the etching revival. Haden worked in both drypoint etching and mezzotint.
Francis Seymour Haden 1818-1910. A Salmon River No II. Mezzotint with Drypoint.1880
Francis Seymour Haden 1818-1910. Kenarth. Etching.1864.
PRINTMAKING TERMS, TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS USED IN THIS EXHIBITION
TECHNIQUES
AQUATINT
Aquatint creates areas of tone. The artist applies a layer of fine grains of resin to the plate which is then fused by heat. When the plate is immersed in acid bath, the acid 'bites' small rings around each grain, and these hold enough ink to give the effect of a watercolor wash when the plate is printed. Excellent examples of the process can be seen in the work of Thomas and William Daniell.
ETCHING
The artist covers the plate with a hard acid-resistant ground, made of a mixture of waxes, gums and resins. Lines of the design are drawn on the ground with an etching needle or stylus. When the plate is immersed in the acid bath, the acid eats or 'bites' into the exposed areas of the plate, producing lines which will hold the ink. Examples of the process can be seen in the work of Joseph Stannard, Francis Seymour Haden and Thomas Creswick.
SOFT-GROUND ETCHING
The etcher draws the composition on a piece of thin paper placed over a soft resin ground. When the paper is removed the resin ground adheres to the paper where the drawing instrument was placed, leaving the metal exposed.When the plate is immersed in the acid bath the plate is 'bitten' and a granular effect is produced. The effect when printed has the character of a tonal graphite drawing. An excellent example of this process can be seen in the work of John Sell Cotman.
LINE ENGRAVING
Of all these processes line engraving is the most laborious and costly, but was used because of the high-quality images it produces. Lines are incised on a copper or steel plate using a sharp tool called a burin , and a burnisher can be used to rub down and lighten areas and remove or correct unwanted lines. Unlike etching no acid is used to create the printable lines. Fine examples of this method are found in the engraved work of Richard Wilson and J M W Turner.
LITHOGRAPH
The artist draws the design directly onto a very flat slab of limetstone, known as a 'stone'. Drawing is done using a special lithographic crayon. The stone is treated chemically so that ink, when rolled on to
the stone, adheres only where the drawing was made. As with all printing here, the print is made using a high-pressure press. Fine examples of lithography are found in the work of Thomas Shotter Boys, Edward Lear and James Duffield Harding.
MEZZOTINT
Technically a drypoint method. The design is created by a cross-hatching technique and a tool called a 'rocker'. This produces small points known as a 'burr'. When rocked over the entire plate it will print as an area of continuous darkness. The engraver removes burr to create areas of light using a burnisher and polishers. Examples of mezzotint can be found in the work of David Lucas (for John Constable) ,Francis Seymour Haden and Thomas Goff Lupton.
© MICHAEL THORNTON-SMITH 2011
CONTACT - MICHAELTHORNTONSMITH@GMAIL.COM
Francis Seymour Haden was an English Surgeon, best known as an etcher and the foremost exponent of the etching revival in England. He became president of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers. He studied and collected the etched work of Rembrandt and collaborated with his brother-in-law James McNiell Whistler, a major force in the etching revival. Haden worked in both drypoint etching and mezzotint.
PRINTMAKING TERMS, TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS USED IN THIS EXHIBITION
TECHNIQUES
AQUATINT
Aquatint creates areas of tone. The artist applies a layer of fine grains of resin to the plate which is then fused by heat. When the plate is immersed in acid bath, the acid 'bites' small rings around each grain, and these hold enough ink to give the effect of a watercolor wash when the plate is printed. Excellent examples of the process can be seen in the work of Thomas and William Daniell.
ETCHING
The artist covers the plate with a hard acid-resistant ground, made of a mixture of waxes, gums and resins. Lines of the design are drawn on the ground with an etching needle or stylus. When the plate is immersed in the acid bath, the acid eats or 'bites' into the exposed areas of the plate, producing lines which will hold the ink. Examples of the process can be seen in the work of Joseph Stannard, Francis Seymour Haden and Thomas Creswick.
SOFT-GROUND ETCHING
The etcher draws the composition on a piece of thin paper placed over a soft resin ground. When the paper is removed the resin ground adheres to the paper where the drawing instrument was placed, leaving the metal exposed.When the plate is immersed in the acid bath the plate is 'bitten' and a granular effect is produced. The effect when printed has the character of a tonal graphite drawing. An excellent example of this process can be seen in the work of John Sell Cotman.
LINE ENGRAVING
Of all these processes line engraving is the most laborious and costly, but was used because of the high-quality images it produces. Lines are incised on a copper or steel plate using a sharp tool called a burin , and a burnisher can be used to rub down and lighten areas and remove or correct unwanted lines. Unlike etching no acid is used to create the printable lines. Fine examples of this method are found in the engraved work of Richard Wilson and J M W Turner.
LITHOGRAPH
The artist draws the design directly onto a very flat slab of limetstone, known as a 'stone'. Drawing is done using a special lithographic crayon. The stone is treated chemically so that ink, when rolled on to
the stone, adheres only where the drawing was made. As with all printing here, the print is made using a high-pressure press. Fine examples of lithography are found in the work of Thomas Shotter Boys, Edward Lear and James Duffield Harding.
MEZZOTINT
Technically a drypoint method. The design is created by a cross-hatching technique and a tool called a 'rocker'. This produces small points known as a 'burr'. When rocked over the entire plate it will print as an area of continuous darkness. The engraver removes burr to create areas of light using a burnisher and polishers. Examples of mezzotint can be found in the work of David Lucas (for John Constable) ,Francis Seymour Haden and Thomas Goff Lupton.
© MICHAEL THORNTON-SMITH 2011
CONTACT - MICHAELTHORNTONSMITH@GMAIL.COM
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