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Technique of the month: colored etching

As discussed in a previous article, the technique of engraving called “eau forte” can not only be a black and white universe. The possibilities of working in color are various and their story show the constant interest in developing this fine craft.

 

It is from the nineteenth century, that printmakers started to look into technical experiments with color. Up until then, etching was only a black and white technique because the addition of color is a difficult element. Not only that, but the collectors and critics took a long while to accept etching artworks with colors, when other colored printing techniques were already widely popular. In Paris for example, in 1890 there was already a very important exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints (Soda, 2017). This event strongly impressed numerous modern artists. A similar exhibition is currently visible in the National Gallery in Sofia presenting the Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints in Bulgarian collections.

« On the Boulevards » ,1893, Eugène Delâtre (1864 – 1938) etching and aquatint in three colors on laid paper, 44.7 cm x 30.9 cm; Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

UTAGAWA (ANDO) Hiroshige (1797–1858); Totsuka: Motomachi Fork, number 6 (second version) from the series, ‘Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Road’, ca. 1835 National Gallery, Bulgaria

“A la poupée”

One of the possibilities to print with color is the technique called “a la poupée”. This French expression, meaning “with a doll” is a reference to the wad of cloth used to apply the ink on the metal plate. This technique means that several colors are applied directly on the plate prior printing which makes it very difficult to handle, as the ink has to be brushed all over the surface, without entering the surface of a different color.

Dutch à la poupée print in three colors, of a tulip, c. 1690s. Workshop of Johannes Teyler

In the fine selection of Fortelier  you can enjoy different artistic views.

“The Hayter technique”

In the late 1940’s, a group of Surrealist artists work on developing technologies that would allow them to print in the manner of the British nineteenth century artist, William Blake. This research resulted in the development of what is called now “the Hayter technique” that uses inks with a different viscosity in order to manage to apply them all simultaneously on the engraved metal plate (Béchard-Léauté & Tuot, 2018).

Stanley William Hayter, “Chute”, 1975, engraving, soft ground etching

On one metal plaque, the artist starts with the engraving. Following the technology of eau-forte he then proceeds to working the plaque with several acid baths. The important element for the Hayter technique is that on one plaque there will be different levels of corrosion. Certain elements will stay longer in acid than others and this will create a various relief on the surface. A minimum of three levels is necessary for good results. Afterwards, the colored ink is applied before printing. All inks are applied either with a paint roller, either à la poupée. The inks are prepared with a different viscosity and that is the major discovery Hayter introduced. By adding linseed oil in some of them, he creates different textures and colors are this way prevented from mixing on the plaque (Solvit, 1996). So, the technique requires different mordant corrosion levels, different viscosity inks and the paint rollers have to be of different hardness. Every one of these elements needs to be in place to achieve the result, we have mentioned in the previous article on etching techniques, that it is a matter of mastering all details at once and this is what brings high value to all printing techniques.

 

Once all the colors are on the same plaque it is printed. Afterwards, all the paint rollers need to be cleaned one by one and the plaque needs to be cleaned completely in order to be ready for the second print. Mastering the technique means to be able to replicate the exact same print, with the exact same application and mixture or colors.

The printmaker

Sometimes the artist and the printmaker are not the same person. Certain artists have mastered printing techniques but it does often happen that the printing craft is a unique one on his own. When it comes to colors this is even more important. How can one reproduce exactly the same application of colors on an on and on, knowing that even the finest change will create a different mix, a different blend and a different texture. Print masters such as the French Pierre Lallier are working together with artists to achieve the result they seek (Tircis, n.d.).

 

You can see it written on the left bottom of the prints: “17/40” or “10/20” or “05/12” etc. These numbers suggests that you are looking at the 17th print out of a total of 40 or the 10th out of a total of 20… One needs to keep in mind that this means that every single time the exact same technique was applied, the exact same viscosity of the ink obtained, the exact same application of the colors and the exact same pressure of printing. These are not details, they are rather difficult parameters to obtain and maintain.

Rodrigo Barrientos, “Tree”, detail

In the fine selection of Fortelier  you can enjoy different artistic views .

Colors with more than one plate

A final possibility to create colored prints is to work with more than one metal plate. For example, as in the work of Rodrigo Barriento, artist from Colombia, a first plate is used to create the yellow layer. It is printed. Then a second plate with a different engraving is used for the red color. On the same paper, the red color is printed. Then a third plate prints the blue color and a final fourth plate prints the black. Everything is always printing on the same paper, applied with extreme precision. This technique works not only for eau-forte engravings but also for wooden or stone plaques.

Rodrigo Barrientos, “The Annonciation”, color print in four wooden plaques, c. Solvit, 1996

Once again, as regards to anything related to engraving and printing techniques, precision, knowledge and craftmanship are the mandatory combination for a fine result. The more you look at it, the less you can understand how the piece was created but the more details and stories you see.

Militza Ganeva is trained in Art History at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris, as well as in Conservation and Restoration of Paintings at La Cambre Academy in Brussels. She currently works as a painting restorer at the National Gallery in Sofia, where she resides after spending many years in Paris, Brussels, and Malta.

Her interests lie in the connections between restoration and science, and she is actively involved in several interdisciplinary studies of artworks. She is also passionate about the development of the contemporary art world and constantly seeks its intersections with history, politics, and global social evolution.

In addition, since 2022, Militza has been contributing to the organization of concerts in Sofia and participating in book editing projects on the side.

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