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1981 An Exploration of Intaglio Processes Influenced by the Woodblock Style of Utamaro Lenore Branchaw Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in Art at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program.

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AN EXPIJORATION OF INTAGLIO PROCESSES INFLUENCED

-BY THE WOODBLOCK STYLE OF UTAMARO (TITLE)

BY

Lenore Branchaw

THESIS

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

Master of Arts in Art IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS

1981 YEAR

I HEREBY RECOMMEND THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE

7 I 7/g; 'DATE

.'Zjl9l~! DATE

- r DATE AN EXPLORATION OF INTAGLIO PROCESSES INFLUENCED

BY THE WOODBLOCK STYLE OF UTAMARO

BY

LENORE BHANCHAW

B. A . IN AHT

COLLEGE OF ST. FRANCIS

1976

ABSTRACT OF A THESIS

Submitt ed in partial fulfillm ent of the requirements · for the degree of Master of Ar ts in Art at the Gra duate School of

Eastern Illinois University

CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS An exploration of th e in taglio processes as influenced

by th e woodblock style of Ki tagaw a Utamaro is examined in this

paper.

A brief introductory s ect i on is devoted to the history

of European and Japanese printmaking. The J apane s e , for the

most part, used woodblo ck prin ts while the European artists

more frequently made intaglio pri nts . The European intaglio

prin ts were the work of one man while the more complicated woodblock prints were developed by the c olle ctive efforts of

Japanese craf tsm en.

The in taglio technique allows the ar tis t to work with one p la te , but many blocks of wood may be needed for effective

linear design in the Japanes e print.

To achieve the magnific ent lines and colors in th e

Japanese prints , Utarnaro embellished his style through beau­

tiful designs of women.

U tamaro, the greatest print des igner of the Go l den- Age , was an insp iration to the linear s ty le that was used to explore

the in taglio pro cess.

In su bsequ ent sections, the intaglio process is explained and compared to the complicated rel i ef process as practiced · by th e Japanese . Intaglio te c hni q ues and materials are de­ scribed to give an idea of how they were affected by the metal plate tha t was used for printing. Five color plates follow the text and pr esent exampl�s of the way Utamaro's style can be ut il i z ed when using the in­ taglio process instead of the complicated Japan ese relief process. Three exampl es of the work by the artist Kitagawa

Utamaro are included. TABLE OF CON TENTS

Page

Lis t of Plat es ...... • ii

Preface ...... iii

European and Japanese Prin tmaking 1

European Method Influenced by Japanese Style 6

The Japanese Style of Art Developed with the Method of Intaglio • . • ...... 10

Printing the Plate ...... 13

Personal Approach to Intaglio as Ins pir ed by the Helief Prints of Utamaro . • . . . 20

Pla te I ...... • • 21

Plate II ...... • • 24

. . • 2 7 Plate III . .

P l ate IV ...... 29

Plate v ...... 31

Japan ese Prints Creat ed by th e Artis t Kitagawa Utamaro . . 35

Personal Con clusion ...... • 39

Bibliography . • ...... 41 LIST OF PLATES

I. Reminiscence, 1979. Lenore Branchaw ...... 23 1980. II . Serene Beauty, Lenore Branchaw 26

III . The Wedding, 1980. Lenore Branchaw ...... 28

IV. In The Garden, 1980. Lenore Branchaw 30

V. Flower Blossoms, 1980. Lenore Branchaw 34 1732. . VI . Boarding,£ Pleasure-barge, Ki tagawa Utamaro 36

VII. Lovers, 1788. Ki tagawa Utamaro ...... • 37

VIII. The Famous Eight Views of Om i, 1737. Kitagawa Utamaro . 38 PREFACE

Th e creation of images has always been one of man's

pr i mary activiti es. The Japanese and Eu ropean artists are

examples of how man created i ma g es through the use of p rints .

The Japanese us ed woodblock p rints , and the Europ ean artists used intaglio prints. These two types of p rints differ in the i r processes. The European inta glio prints were the work of one man whil e the more complicated woodblock prints were developed by the collective efforts of Japanese craftsmen.

The intaglio technique all ows the artis t to work with on e pl ate , but many blocks of wood may be needed for effec­ tive design in the Japanes e p r int . A diversity of methods

can be used to make subtle changes in an intaglio plate but

cannot be used in creating relief print . EUROPEAN AND JAPANESE PRINTMAKING

Printm aking techniques for illustration , de coration and rel igious purposes have been used since the 6th and 7 th cen­

turies A.D. There are four major divisions of printmaking: lithography, serigraphy, relief printmaking, and intagl io.

Lithography was used by the English, Germans, and 1 French. In 1803, the first lithographs appea red in Engl and . 2 Alois Senefelder was the inventor of lithography. A litho­ graph is best developed by us ing a fine grain stone or a special ly prepared zin c pla te which holds a greasy image that may be printed.

Serigraphy 'is a method of duplicating an image by the use of a stencil. One of the first stencil printing pro c- esses was use d by the Fiji islanders , who made stencils by cutting perforations in banana l eaves and pouring vegetabl e 3 dyes through the openings to the bark cloth. Through th e use of modern sten cil materials such as plastic , paper , silk, and metal, the serigraphy process has become more sophisti- cated.

l � wilhelrn Weber, !::. Histor of Lithography (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company , 196 ) , p. 10.

2 Ibid . 3 J.I. Biegeleisen, M.A. , Silk Screen S te ncil ine; as a Fine Art ( New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1942), P:- 7. Relief pr intmaki ng did not start with the Japanese ; it

was used by T' ang China. The Japanese used it during the

Fu jiware period for background painting and scripture writ­ 4 ings.

The Japanes e artists exhibit prime examples of textur e

and color in th e print s th ey crea ted . A Japan ese colored

print is a reproduction of a drawing engraved onto the wood­

block. 5

Through the complicated efforts of five craftsmen, the

publisher, designer, engraver , printer, and papermaker, the

Japanese woodblock p rint was produced. The publisher was

commissioned to work and co-ordinate th e operation of dis-

tributing the finished prints.

The designer created the drawing on transparent paper .

Later he would indicate the colors by painting them on a . . 6 "pull" or proof from the "key-block."

The Japanese e ngrav er was trai ned to cut away everything

.on the block, other than an outline of the design. The en-

graver would paste th e drawing face-down on a piece of cher­

ry wood , the n cut around th e lines with a knife, cl earing ? the wood between the lines which was left in high relief.

4Pete r C. S wann , An Intr?oduction to the Arts of Japan (Oxford: Bruno Cassirer, Ltd., 1958), pp. 180-81. 5 Ann Freeborn Priestley, How to Know Japanese Colour P rints (New York : Doubleday , Page and Company , l

?I bi d., p. 15. The Japanese d id not use a press when working with the woodblock. Instead , the printer would apply pressure with 8 the aid of the baren tool. The printer would rub over the inked and raised lines, and thus apply pressure to the print by rubbing the baren ove r the back of th e paper.

The fifth person involved with the pr inting process was the papermake r. The paper was hand-made from mulbe rry bark 9 to enhance the colors. Wat ercolors mixed with a medium of rice paste was used for coloring the prints.10

Japan's most individual contribution to the world of art is the color print . The Ukijo-e school is noted for the "single she et prints" and also wood block pri s 11 nt . The meaning of Ukijo-e is "pic tures of the floating

12 world.11 The artists from the Ukijo-e p eriod designed prints of beautiful women from the merchant class. One of the most famous and skillful artists during th e Ukijo-e . 1 period was Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806). 3 He was an accom­ plished artist of substantial attainments in the areas of

8 Frank Whitford, Japanese Prints and Western Painters ( New York: Macmillan Publishing Go. , Inc., 1977), p. 52. 9 J. Hillier, Utamaro Colour Prin ts and l'ain ting (New York: Phaidon Press Ltd. , 1961), p. 14. lO Priestley, p. 2. ll Richard Illing, a ne e Prints (New York: Dut ton, J pa s E.P. 1978)' p. 2.

12 P , rdem, La ter Japanese Prin ts (New York: haidon Press 1978), p. 1. 1 3Hillier, Utamaro , p. 9. print design , book illus tra tion and painting.14 As an art- ist , Utamaro worked w i th nature, and, in fact, became noted for his inse ct prints.

In 1788, Utamaro compos ed his first book of color pr in ts

titled Ehon Mushi Erabi (�Pictured Book of Selected lnsectG).15

Following U tamaro ' s Insect Book, the Shell Book and the 6 "Hundred Screamers ," or Bird Book, gained recognition.1

It was not until 1790 tha t Utamaro beg an crea ting pictures of wom en. His por tray al of women only came after working with other creatures of n at ure. Utamaro's prints of women

exhibited a graceful style and vivid color of e xq uis i te women with sumptuous garments, 17 as seen in Plates VI-VI II.

Kitagawa Utamaro gained the leadership of the print

.18 movement in the early 1790's During this period, Utarnaro des ign ed creations of famous houses of fashion in Edo.19

"Utamaro was the greatest print designer of the Golden­

- , "20 Age of nishiki e and had worked for 52 publishers by 21 the time he die d.

1 il er Ut o, 7. 4H li , amar p. 1 5Ibid., p. 34. 16 bi . 41. I d , p. 17 Ibid. , p. 27.

lBswann, p . 187. 1 9 Hilli e r, Utamaro, p. 92. 20 whi tford , p. 67.

21 Ibid . Utamaro spe cial i z ed in e l egan ce and grace . His works

color, and of art were an insp iration in the us e of texture, s tyle.

In Europ e, intaglio prin ts have be en the most tradition- al and, th erefore , the must acceptabl e form of prin tmaking. 22 Intaglio plates were found in Germany and Italy before 1450.

The German engravers were the first to master the intaglio technique.23 Mast ers such as Martin Schongauer and Albrecht

of th Durer were well-known engravers by the beginning the 16 century .

The word intaglio includes etching, engraving , dry point, aquatint, and mezzo tint. In taglio defines an image engraved below the surface of th e material , un like a woodblock , in whi ch the image is left on the surface. 24

Etching is a process in which lines are engraved into a copper or zinc plate with ac id. Th ese lines ar e then filled with ink and run through a press for pr in tin g the imag e . 25

.

The character of a print is an inexpensive form of reproduc - tion in which the most soph isticated art can be developed.

2 2Gerald Woods, 'l'he Craft of .Etching and Lithography (London: Blandford Pre ss , 1965), p. 11.

23 r bid.

24Jules Heller, Printm aking Tod ay (New York: Holt, Hine­ 1972), hart & W i n s ton , Inc., p. 207.

25Harry Sterneberg , Mod e rn Methods and Material� of Etching (New Y ork : McGraw-Hil l Book Compan y, Inc., l':J4"9'), p. 6. EUROPEAN METHOD IN.B'LUENCED BY

JAPANESE STYLE

A plate is an obvious necessity when producing an

etching. There are two popular plates used in etching: a

copp er plate wh ich has a redd ish tint and allows for finer

work , and the zinc pla te which is softer than the copper

pl ate and has a bluish color which will chang� some colors

26 c an d giv. e the m a d.ir ty appearance. opper h as a per f'ec tly clean printing surface, thus the col or is unaffected by the 7 metai. 2 Copper, however, is much more expensive than zinc.

The primary probl em in etching is to provide the plate with an acid-resistant ground , so the acid will not destroy 28 the surface of the pla te. There are two typ es of grounds

commonly used for etching: soft ground, which is a waxy substance which may be used for textured effects, and hard ground with the main ingredient being aspaltum, and this ground is used for produci ng fine li ne de tail.29

26 Ma nley Banis ter, Etching and Other ln taglio 'rechnig ues (To towa , New Jersey: Li t tlefield, Ad ams & Co., 1974), p. 7.

27rbid. , p. 34. 8 2 Heller, p. 210. 9 2 Banister, p. 67. The original purpose of the soft ground me thod was to provide an appearance of a pencil or crayon drawing, but a variety of materials can be us ed to create a textured look when using soft ground. Lace, weed s, dried flowers, and netting are just a few. Many of these found objects can be used for smooth and rough texture and also may be incorpo­ rated for a background design. An object visually or tex­ turally interesting is usually an asset to the etching.

Following the application of th e ground by a roller, dauber, or brush, an etching needle is used to scratch th e design throu gh the ground to the metal allowing the bare metal to be exposed to the acid. The ground should not flake or chip when the needle is being drawn through th e plate. The needle should move easily through the ground for a precise line. After etching the plate in acid,i the plate must be cleaned with solvent and the ink must be worked into the bitten lines.

Ink is an important consideration both by color and physical properties. An oil base ink is used and has a luminous quality. Earth tones, such as black and brown, tend to work well on an etching. Chemical colors, such as yellow, will not work on zinc; wiping th e plate causes oxidation which makes colors grey.

Viscosity, or the amoun t of oil in th e ink, also affects the color of the print. Etching inks are of a heavy viscos­ ity; they are thick and sticky an d have to be worked into the plate. Oil is on e of th e essential ingredients in etching ink. It must be carefully measured, so the ink will not be too runny and thin to work with.

To apply the ink to th e plate, daubers and tarlatan are ne cessary. Daubers are piec es of fel t or blanket ma te­

ink rial rolled into a tight cylinder used to spread the on the plate . Tarlatan is a stiff, coarsely wo ven cloth used

to wipe the ink from the plate, so only a film of ink re­ mains on the surface. The ink in the lines is not affected during this wiping process. Final wipe up is easy wi th p ieces of newspaper.

Another major concern is the type of paper util ized.

Papers range from the soft, absorbent variety to a very

coarsely grained surface. The type of pape r as well as the

color affect the quality of the print. The excellence of the image also depe nds on the quality of th e paper. In many instances, the paper itself b e comes an integral part of the print. Color, absorbency, whi teness, smoothness, and

when gra in are characteris t ics to c ons ider selecting the paper.

When the pla te is completed, a press is needed for printing. A numb er of printing presses are availabl e, bu t certain requ irements should be me t. The metal bed, or platen, should be larg e en ough to accomodate the size of the plate. The pressure of the press should be adjusted, so all the recessed areas of the plate become filled with paper and receive the ink.

There are three blankets which are most often used to achieve the correc t amount of press tension. The thinnest blanket, called the " fronting" blanket or "sizing catcher," is used for ab sorbi n g water from the damp paper.30 The

he aviest blanket, called the "cushion" blank et, iG posi­ 31 tioned ab ove the sizing catcher. The "pusher" is the top­ mos t blanke t and receives the mo st wear.32 The blankets shoul d be kept clean an d free of ink, so the final re sult will be free of e x c ess ink and dirt. After the proof is

f completed , the plate may require u rther work with the use of a scraper and burnisher. A scra per is a tool us e d for removing unwanted intaglio marks on the plate. It is a thre e - s id ed , hollow-eround steel knife set in a wooden hand le which must be kept raz o r sharp. Any scored or rough en ed surface made by the scrap er is then repolished and mad e smooth by the burnisher. A burn isher is a hig hly polished smooth steel instrument used with a little machine oil to achieve its purpos e.

30 Ban ister, p . 39 . 31 Ibid . , p. 40.

32Ibid. THE JAPANESE STYLE OF ART DEVELOPED

WITH THE METHOD OF INTAGLIO

Ch oosing the mater ials is on ly half the prepar ation ; met ho d s hould al so be es timated. Techn ical options begin with the pl ate. Des ign , te xtural varie ty , formal represen ta-

tion, tone, and co lor ar e some examples of what affects the fin al pr int.

To achi eve a variati on of tone, the printer can us e the pro cess of aquatin ting. Tradi tio n ally , this specific process

i of in tagl io in vo lves the app l ica t on of a porous gro und of rosin to the surface of the plate. Th e plate is th en heated, melting th e rosin in to acid-res is tan t dots. " 'rhe acid pi ts

the areas surrounding each particl e of melted rosin and ere- ates a cavity that will ho ld more or less ink depend ent upon 3 the length of the bite.11 3 A thickly covered ar ea of rosin

on the pl at e will achie ve a white area on the p r int . A thin coat of rosin will give dark value tones and have a grain- like effect.

· Exciting textures an d tones can be achieved 1Jy deciding which metho d to use and how to work the plate.

In etching, a need l e is drawn into the ground allowing the p late to be expos ed to the acid. The method of drypoint

33 Heller, p. 226. and line engr aving do not require ground to be laid nor acid

to be u sed . A dryp oint nee dle is us ed to scratch lines into

the plate, em it ting pieces of metal which form a "burr" on the 4 3 A plate. bur r is in the form of a ridge of metal forced up­ ward by th e drypoint needle . The build up of ink around the bu rr cr eate s rich, warm black line s. Variations of gray and bl ack tones can be achieved from th is method.

The drypoint needle scratches lines into the plate while ·-sh the engraving tool, a burin, cu ts a furrow through the metal.- J

A burin is a small hand tool, consisting of a small squ are steel rod hel d in a half -r ou nd woode n handle. The bu rin acts as a cutting age nt to in cise groove s or channels into th e plate .

En gravin g is essentially a line technique.

Lin e engr aving on m�tal is the most decisive and most direct of al l the intaglio proce sses; it demands control and discipline. In ord er to work the plate properly, a variety of skills an d spe cif ic techniques have to be learned.

En gravin g r equ ir es full control of the burin's cut of a dir ect line. It is necessary to hol d and sometimes move the plate agai nst the bu rin. "The mobility of the plate is drucial to both the cu tting of curve d lines and the recurring nee dle to appr oach the image from many directions.1136

34 He ll er, p. 238.

35 Ban ist er, p. 84. 6 3 ( wal ter Chamberlai�, E tching an d Engraving Lond on: Tham es an d Hud son , Ltd., 1972), p. 30:- The us e of the burin can create tone, tex ture, and, in a

sens e, co lor.

An immeasurable r ange of gray tones can be achieved

by carefully spacing fin e an d broken lines and by abr upt

cuts through the ef fect of dotting. A dot tin g effect can

be mad e by a group of short, abrupt cuts, fa cing up spike s

of metal , leavin g a trian gul ar mark in th e plate. Ro un d

do ts are cut by rotatin g the pl ate wi th th e burin's po in t

37 en gaged in the me tal at varying an gles.

C olor comb in ed with light and dark to ne s make it po s­

sible to sugges t shapes. Color is not a separat e entity;

it en han ces the qu a lity of the in taglio print. Co lor should no t be used to fill in space , form, or mo vemen t; it sh oul d be used to in tensify the tex tures drawn in th e plate . Tones

and shadows become rich an d deep through the combination of

texture an d color. The elements of design in terplay due to

the amo un t and in tensity of the color.

37chamberlain , p. 31. PRINTING TKE PLATE

When the pr in t ing metho d or method s are chos en, the pr inter may begin pr inting the plat e. For an in tagl io print , it is impo rtant to beve l the ed ges of the plate with a file to in hib it the sharp ed ge of the pl ate from slicin g through the paper or the blankets. A properl y beveled edge allows the bl ankets to mo ve sm o othl y throu gh the pr es s and safely over the plate.

Bevel ing is ca rried out by pla cing th e plate flat on a tab le, so the ed ge overhangs slightl y. A 45-degree angle should be ma intained when bevel i ng, roundin g of f each cor ner with a file. Re sidual particles of metal from fil in g should be remo ved from the surface of the pl ate to el iminate sur­ face scratches .

The surface of the pla te should be tho rou ghly clea ned before the drawn work is in itiated an d the gro und applied.

Gr eas e on the pl ate wil l ca us e the gro und to lift durin g the biting.

The mo st ef fective way to clean a plate is with a thin pas te of whiting po wd er . When the plate has bee n clea ned, it should be rins ed with water. Whiting pow der, not grease, ma y rema in on the pl ate.

When the pl ate is thoroughl y clean ed, the groun d ca n be appl i ed . The ha rd ground in sol id form is appl ied by a roller or a dauber. The plate mu st be heated on a hot plate. The wax in the h ard ground will mel t and coat the me tal plate.

When the warm pl ate is sm eare d with wax, the roll er or

daub er is used to roll out th e gr ound as evenly as po ssible .

A s l ightl y transpare nt rich , dark brow n color should be 38 main tained.

Af ter the gr oun d is laid , the s ketch can be transferred

to th e pl ate. The drawin g should be ske tched on pape r wit h

soft l e ad and pl ace d face down on the ground pl at e. With

l it tl e pr es su re , the ske tch an d pl ate are slowly run through

the pr ess, or the pape r may be burn ished to release the d rawin g to the ground on the pl at e.

An et chin g nee dle is us ed. to draw the design . A line­

etchin g ca n have var ious textures by us ing a combin ation of

thick and th in lin es . Line -etchin g can be formed in stage s.

Fo r in stance , afte r th e first etch has be en accomplished,

the wa x and varnis h ar e cle ane d o ff. A ne w gr ou nd is re laid ,

an d mo re drawing is ad ded. The en ti re proces s is re pe at ed

several times to build up areas of tone and texture.

Before the plate is imm erse d in t o th e acid bath, the back an d edges must be ful ly pr ote cted from the acid. One

or more coat s of liquid varnish is placed on the back and e dge s to protect th e plate from strong acid or long period s of bitin g. So me plates are precoated on the back, and no

coat in g is requ i red.

38Ch ambe rlain , p. 50. Reg ardless of how cr e atively the needle or drypoint �s

us ed to sugges t tone an d tex ture , two o th er etching processes

offer great er range for var iety . They are aquatint and

soft ground . Both are complete processes and can be com­

bined with line e t ching . "Soft-ground etching, unlike aqua­

tint which is a purely tonal process, can be employed equal­ 39 ly well for texture and line. 11

A soft ground , which is a non - d rying acid resist, is a

co mb ination of wax ground mixed with either gre ase, tallow, 0 or vaseline. 4

The wax is applied the same way as h ard ground, either

by ro l ler or d auber. The pl ate must be thoroughly cleaned

before the pl ate can be cove red with mel ted wax. The ground

should be thin , even and dark brown in color, so textur ed

impressions can be applied.

So ft gro und lacks the firm consistency as com pared to

th e surf ace of hard ground . Therefore, the detailed, pre­

cis e drawing s uitable for ha rd gr ound is not g o od for soft

ground.

In the eight een th cen tury , the purpose of the sof t

gro un d me thod was to ach i e ve a pencil or crayon drawing.41

Tod ay's contempo rar y etchin gs utilize soft ground as a means of obtaining a cer tain qual i t y of lines and textures.

39 chamberlain, p. 55.

4 0 Ib id.

4l rb id. , p. 60. The met ho d of obtain ing a texture d su rface is to pla ce materia ls such as lace, we eds , dried flowers , etc. , on the wa xed pl ate. The pl ate is then co vered with wa x p aper and run through the press. The co ve ring pape r is the n removed , and the materia l is pee le d ca reful ly off the gro u nd.

Stoppin g out va rnish is brus hed on ar e as not desire d in the plate and on the back of the pl ate before immers ion in to the acid. Af ter the biting has taken pl ace , a new gro u nd can be laid an d fu rther te xtures can be employed when ne ces sary.

It is essential wh en working with soft gro und te xtu res to be imagin ative , in ven t ive, ingen io us , and expe rimental in the cho ice of ma terials and their us e.

Of all the traditional etchin g proce sses , aqu atin t is the one mo st widely us ed fo r cr eatin g areas of tone . The droppin g of powdered rosin on the surface of a heated plate an d bit ing in acid can cr eate a wide array of tones.

The hea t is appl ied evenly over th e entir e surface of the plate. The rosin po wder will suddenly tu rn color and mel t to the metal . Wh en the ro sin has fus ed to th e plate , it should be removed from the heat �n d left to cool. Ar eas where tone is no t wanted are "s to ppe d ou t," and the plate is then placed in acid fo r bjting.

Ro s in gro und can be removed af ter the plate has been taken from t he acid ba th. Al coho l or shellac remover is us ed when cl eaning the rosin from the plate .

Paper also af fects the appe arance of the finished pr int.

A strongly wo ve n paper will add its ow n texture to th e image an d will also affect the ink transf e r and the evenness of color. Waterc ol or paper, smooth drawing paper, and ev enly grai ned printing pa per work well with the intagl io pro cess ; these pro duc e different levels of richness and tonal qu ality.

Whi le th e pa pe r is being moistened in a bath of water, th e pl ate can be prepared for inking. A heavily viscou s ink or etching ink, which will stay in the depressions of th e pl a te, is need ed .

Ink is appl ied to the plate with a dauber. Care must be ta ken to push ink into every depression, or improper to ne wi ll res ul t. When al l th e col or is applied, the wiping pro cess starts .

A flat pa d of tarl atan removes the exce s s ink. Fur­ ther wiping should be done ca refu ll y . Newspaper is some­ times used to remove an y excess ink and gives a light sur­ face to ne. To o mu ch wiping will produce a pale print; too little wiping may cause fuzz y edges, unclear areas, or un­ wan ted tex t ures.

The ac tual prin ti n g proces s fol lows . A press must be used as th ere is no o t her reall y successful way to pull the ink from eve ry groove and crevice. The press bed should be sm ooth and clean so as not to soil the print or to alter the pressure. Newsprint or elean paper covers the pl a ten, with the pla te resting on the top. Carefully remove a sheet of pa per from the wat er and place it between two blotters . The excess wa ter ma y be removed by rolling a large ro ller ove r the blo tters. The paper is centered over th e pl ate an d m us t not be removed until after printing. Movin g the paper migh t cau se some ink to transfer to the sh eet.

Three felt blankets are used to achieve the corr ect pr essure . Di ffe re nt thi cknesses of padding can alleviate variations in the height of the pla te and re gulate the amount of pr es sure desired. Th e plate is then run thro u gh the pres s at a previ o u sl y determined pressur e. The pl ate may be run thro ugh the press tw o times to insure a co mpl e t e image transfer.

The blan kets are placed over the press, and the paper is caref ull y removed from the plate . The pr int may be attached to a flat board with stapl es one and one-ha lf in­ ches apart. The board must be kept l ev el to ass ure uniform d rying and a flat pri nt.

Pr oblem s can arise in the in taglio pro cess. If the ink fu rs out or collects in c erta i n are as of the pr in t, the printmaker mu st ei ther reduce the pressure of the pr ess, wipe the pl ate more, or reduce the amount of plate oil.

Paper st icking or tearing im pl ies that the pressure was too great, the ink too stiff, or the removal of the paper was too ra pid .

Un ev en p rint in g can be caused from the ink's being too dry or too stiff; the press may have too little pressure; the pl ate may n o t be level; the paper may be too wet or too dry; a forei gn subst ance may res ide in the intagliate or not en oug h care went into the inking process. Wrinkles in the pape r are caused by any number of errors : the blankets mip,ht be to o wet, stiff, w r i n kl e d, or stretched; the paper too wet or unevenly damp; the paper too thin; or the pressure too gre at. Another common problem is the appearance of white

s areas ; increasing the pres ur e or applying more ink sho uld impro ve the looks of the print.

Bene ficial learning experiences occur from all these unsatisfa ctory situations. One learns that careful planning and overd epend ence on the materials th emselves should be limited when working on a print.

The intag lio prints are more than just representational i mages. They are richly textured, highly varied tones and strongly expe rimental graphic forms providing tactile and v i sual in terest. The in t ag lio print speaks for itself:

It may draw it s ins p irati on from other ar t forms, and it may h ave developed from the printmaking processes, but it gains its po w er and strength from being exactly what it is. It is a .creation of the artis t, a visually and tactily stimulating 4 2 work of art.

4 ( 2E. S. Lumsden, The Art of Etching Ne w York: Dove r Publications, I n c ., l '§b'2), p. 40. PERSONAL APPROACH TO INTAGLIO AS INSPIHED

BY THE RELIEF PRINTS OF UTAMARO

His toric ally, i ntaglio is recognized as a creative

innovat ion to the printmaking world. Indi vidual ly, intaglio

• h as b ecome an expressi ve visual outlet , a syn thesis of tex-

ture, line, and tone . The approach to the medium illustrat- ed here involves the mod el ing techn ique . Subsequent l ines ,

textures, and tones are defined by the blending and wiping of color .

Ut amaro' s ex p ressi ve style of line and detail illustrat- ed in the Japanese rel ief pri nt s was an inspiration to ex- plore through the many techniques of the i ntagli o processes.

Expe rim enting with the intagl io processes was less complicated than the Japanese relief prints. Utamaro's style of draw ing was illus trated on metal plates instead of the invol ved woodblo ck process. Materials, methods, and probl ems of the individual prints follow. Plate I

Remin iscence Photog raph I

Techn i cal Data: Created July 1979, edi tion of 10

Printm ak ing paper

Grumbac her ink

Plate siz e 4" x 611

Framed s iz e 16" x 1811

Reminiscence was creat ed with the tec hniq ue of hard and sof t ground . Hard ground was brushed on the zinc plate, an d the drawing was tran sfe rred to the metal. With an etching ne edle, the long dis torte d figure began to emerg e.

Long curved lines wer e draw n through the hard ground to show contras t and movement. To com ple te the eff e c t, patche s of crosshatched lines were used to show dark, al m ost soli d ar eas of color .

The concept of the bac kground texture was to est abl ish an ad equate appearan ce. S of t ground was melted over the plate and left to cool . Dried flowers were placed at random in the background and forced in to the soft g roun d with the use of the pre ss. The flow ers were then removed, and the plate was placed in the acid ba t h . Af ter five minutes in the solut ion, the plate was removed, and the ground was cleaned off with solve nt. Whe n the plate was cleaned, the inking pro cess began. Three different colors, black, brown, and crimson, were experimented with. The use of the black ink did not enhance the styl e of the etching. The color was too ha rsh and destroyed the soft quality of the floral background.

When brown ink was us ed , the printed image was dull . How­ ever, when crimson was applied, the to tal effe ct was rich and warm. 1/10 Reminiscence 7/79

Lenore Branchaw Pla te II

S erene Beauty Photograph II

Technical Data : Created July 1980 , edition of 1 1

Printmaking paper

Grum bacher ink

Plate si z e 6 " x 9"

Framed si.ze 11" x 14"

Kitagawa Utamaro' s prints gave the world a graceful

dal lian ce, uninterrupted ple asure , and an illus ion of what

the real Japanese world was like.

I n 1 79 6-1800 , Utamaro worked wi th prints tha t po r tray ed

head designs on a very large scale. 43 Utamaro 's head designs were the inspiration for Serene Beautx .

In working with Serene B ea u ty , different methods were

exp erimented with . Hard gro und was brushed o v e r the plate, and the desi gn was drawn wi th an etchi ng needle. A variety of textures an d patterns was nee ded to form the den.ign in

the fabric. When drawn , the plate was put into the acid ba th. The ground w as re mov ed wit h solvent, and the plate was cleaned .

Next ink was appl ied to the plate, and the firs t proof was made . The plate printed light. Some of the pa tterns were so light the method of drypoint was added . After

4 3 e , J James A . Michen r apanes e Prints (Rutland , Vermo nt : C harl es E. Tut tle Company, 1959), p. 27 . s crap ing for se veral ho urs into the plate , the contras t began to emerg e. The s eco n d proof al so needed the d rypoin t metho d, an d darker to nes resulted .

Ano ther problem s t i l l had t o be resolved. In one area of the fabric, the des ign did not co-ordinate wi th the o ther p a tt ern s of the cl o th . Darker value t one s were needed in thi s spe c i fi c area. The process of aq uatinting was us ed.

The porous ground of ro sin was appl ied to the small area of the pla te and hea t ed . The rem aind er of the pla te was pro­ tec ted with hard g ro und. The plate was left in the a c id fo r el ev en minutes. When the pl ate was cl ean an d the ink ap plied, a third pro of was pul led .

After pulling the p ro o f , th e tex tur e was r ich and vibrant.

The co n t ras t produced fo rm, and the aq uatinting was a suc­ cess. 3/11 Seren e Beauty 7/80

Lenore Bran chaw Plate III

The Weddin g Photog rap h Ill

Technic al Data : Created June 1980, edition of 11

P rin tmakin g paper

Grumbacher ink

P late siz e 4! " x 611

Book siz e 6 11 x 10 "

This etching was des igned for a wedding prayer book.

The design interest was in developing a soft l ace textu re for the foreground an d a sturdy, stro ng tex ture fo r the back ground .

Hard ground was brushed over the plate ) and curved lines were scratc hed into the sur face to provide the figures wit h a gra cefu l appearanc e. To ac complish this, sm all curved lines and dots were drawn into the plate .

The use of vertical an d horizontal lines was developed for the background .

Black in k of fered th e necessary dep th and rich to ne needed for this etching. 6/11 The Wedding 7/80

Lenore Bran chaw Pla te IV

In The Garden P ho t ograph IV

Technical Data: Created July 1980 , editi on of 10

Printmakin g paper

Grumbacher ink

Plate si ze 4!" x 611

Framed size 10" x 12 "

A diversi ty of tex tures was needed to crea te the

flowing pattern in the fabri cs.

This plate was primarily tooled. The etching needle

was us ed to draw the des ign into the hard ground . The

plate req uired great care in its des i gn . ln dea l ing with

such a sm al l area, the texture of the fa b ric co uld not be

overpowerin g, y et, at the same time , too subtle a tex ture

would have little impact. The tec hn iques of tex tural tran-

sition , contrast of tone, and hu e effect were utilized when working with th e sm all areas of the plate .

One of Utamaro' s striki ng features of his p ri n ts was

the beau ty and extravagan ce of the robes wo rn by many of his 4 4 fi gures . To develop a deep er contras t agains t the del icate markings for this plate, the te chnique o� drypoint wa s us ed

to achieve darker value ton es. Thro ugh the tedious process

of sc raping, a metal contrast, which was important to the

plate , w as achieved .

44P eter C. S w ann , The Art of Japan \New York : Crown Publ ishers , In c. , 1966)-;-p .�3-. - 2/10 In Th e Garden 7/80

Lenore Bran chaw Plate V

Flower Blossoms Photograph V

Technical Da ta : Created Augus t 1980, edi tion of 16

Charc oal paper

Grumbac her ink

Plate size 12" x 18"

Framed size 18" x 24 "

On e of the important fac tors for a Japanese artist' s bein g su cces sful w a s keeping up with the fashions of the

kim on os an d col orful cos tumes .

Around 1 7 95 , Utamaro b egan to len�then the fo rm of the

femal e figures t ha t he work ed wit h.45 Two reasons Utamaro

began t o l engthen his figures w e re becaus e the Jap an es e

to women were inclin ed be short and plump. The long figure gave him the opportunity to w ork with bea utiful lines an d 4 6 exaggerated forms.

To exagge ra t e the length of the figures in Fl ow er

Bl ossoms , a large plate was utilized . The larger area re- q u i red more patterns on the fabri c of th e figures.

The wider Japanes e prints are kn own as kak emono-e,

45Hilli er, Utamaro , p. 91 .

4 6 rbid. '•

"han ging- thing pictures ," an d the narrowes t prints as 147 ha shi ra- e, "pillar pictures . 1

Ha rd ground wa s brushed on the zinc plate, and t he

drawi n g was transferred . A n etching needle was worked int o

the ground to form the variety of texture . When drawn , the

plat e was put in to the acid bath for 12 minutes . The ground

w as rem oved with solvent, and th e plate was cleaned.

After inking the fi rst pro0 f, the backgro und printed

light. Dark er contras t was needed in some areas of the

fabric and in the ba ckground.

Hard ground was brushed over th e plate a second time .

With an etching needle, pieces of hard groun d were flak ed

off. The p la te wa s then lef t in th e ac id f or 15 minutes .

Next the ground wa s removed , and the plate was clean ed.

The sec ond proof showed improve ment. '1.' he b acki=_;ro u nd was

dark in contras t and ha d bold texture .

Areas of fabri c were still weak and nee ded to be im-

proved. Drypoin t wa s used to bring tone out in are as of th e

cloth.

After pulling th e third proof, th e tone an d texture were ri ch and vib ran t . The contras t needed in the des ign was a suc c ess.

Color was very importan t in developin8 Flower Bl ossoms .

Blue was th e fi rst col or an d on ly resu.l ted in a harsh, una t-

tractiv e im age . Black was then us e d , and the result was

4 7 James A. M i c hen er, The Fl oating World (New York : Random House , 1954) , p. 2 7 . �- cle ar texture an d sharp contras t . However , a color tha t was so ft an d exquisi te was nee de d for .F' lower Blos soms .

Brown ink on light brown cha rcoal paper was selected. The to tal effe ct was rich and warm ; the des ign was strong due to co lor, texture , an d tone . 1 /16 Fl ower Blossoms 8/80

Lenore Bran c haw JAPANESE PRINTS CREATED BY THE ARTIS T

KITAGAWA UTAMARO Boarding a Pleasure- barge 1782

Kitagawa Utamaro Lovers 1788

Kitagawa Utamaro The l<"'amous Eigh t Views of Omi 1797

Kitagawa Utamaro PERSONAL CONCLUSION

Intaglio is an e x citing and en j oyable med ium . Specific met hods an d trad itional te chniques can be practiced , along with an innovative approach.

Working wi th the J ap an ese styl e of draw ing and appl ying it to the intagl io process is exciting , inspirati onal , and

rewarding .

The most e n j o yab l e experi ence with working wi th intag­ lio was b eing ab le to d e velop the J apanese style without

the c o mp lic a t e d tec hnique of the rel ief process. Being ab le

to work with the Japan e s e draw ings and complete the intagl io process wi thout other craf tsmen al so is rewarding.

I n op p osit ion to the intagl io process, Kitagawa U t amaro was a chief source of i n sp i ration , and his style of beauty and ex travagan ce in us ing Japanese ro bes and figures was apparent in all his pri nts.

As an inspirational artis t, Utamaro al lows the change from woodcu t to intagl io to be an exci ting medium. Utamaro 's expressi ve tech n ique of line, te xtu r e, and col or made the

Japanes e life a beau tiful way to live.

Working with i n tagl i o makes on e aware of the diverse methods that c an be utilized to form texture and tone . A c o mb ination of thes e two sources p rec i p i ta t e s a wide variety

of light an d dark areas to a c h i e ve a beautiful image. It als o seems apparent tha t the in taglio plate is as mu ch a work of art as the resul ting print. BIBL I OGRAPHY

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