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by
Mikio Watanabe
Mezzotint was invented in Germany in the 17 th century by an amateur artist,
Ludwig von Siegen. At this time, the only method of achieving texture on the
copper plate was cross-hatching and the artists who reproduced the great
works of art found that the techniques available, did not convey the beauty
and subtle qualities of the original paintings. By using this new method of
mezzo-tint, nuances in the old master paintings were much easier to
reproduce because of what the rocked plate offered; deep, rich blacks and
textural hints that were not possible with the earlier methods. The most
important characteristic, and the starting ground of every image is produced
by "rocking" back and forth on the copper plate in eight different
directions. This instrument, (aptly called the "rocker") , is a bevel-edged,
very sharp, crescent-shaped steel tool. When moved in a rocking motion on
the copper plate it cuts or incises burrs, or ruts onto the softer metal. If
rocked in different directions it will produce intersecting lines, and when
looked at, under magnification, many mountains and valleys are evident. This
is called the ground. If inked at this stage, the copper plate, which has
now become a matte surface (from the original shiny copper surface), would
produce a soft, lush, deep black. The image is then created by pushing down
on those "mountains". The more the artist pushes, the deeper the copper is
depressed, and this pushing begins to shine or "burnish" the plate. The
instrument used to push down those mountains is called a "burnisher". When
printed, those deeply pressed areas do not pick up any ink that is rolled
onto the plate; only the mountains or "ground" pick up the ink. The genius
is not the black and whites that are achieved, but the unbelievable greys
that can be produced; ergo, the name; mezzo, and tinto, or half and tone in
Italian.
Mezzotinting proved to be very important in the 17th and 18th centuries
reproducing the great masters and even spawning some original work by
artists who had been etchers and engravers. Holland, Belgium, France and
Great Britain used the medium to each countries own artistic idiosyncrasies
and it also traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to be used in the new
colonies. The invention of steel plates for etching and engraving, the
French Revolution and the industrial revolution succeeded in making the
mezzotint underutilized and almost forgotten.
When photography was invented, the mezzotint was put aside almost
completely. There was a modest recovery, in England during the late 19th
century, when a few of the printmakers of the Royal Academy (London)
produced original mezzotints. It was the re-birth of printmaking in post
World War II France that brought the mezzotint back to its full glory.
Workshops specializing in printmaking under the direction of Stanley William
Hayter and his Atelier 17, and Johnny Friedlaender created the need to look
at older techniques and it was the curiosity created by this ambience of
change that allowed a young Japanese student, Yozo Hamaguchi, and a student
studying with Marc Chagall, Mario Avati, to experiment and commit themselves
to the mezzotint. Today, the mezzotint is used by hundreds of accomplished
and emerging printmakers throughout the world though it is still a
relatively rare medium.
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