The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-21
THE ART OF ETCHING.
How the Work Is Done-In What Respect 1t
Differs from Engraving.
Dinah MULCH Crail5.


How the Work Is Done-In What Respect 1t
Differs from Engraving.
Talk with Connoisseur in Detroit Times.
''In the first place saws Mr.. Halle, speaking of
etching an art and of the mysteries of the
business, etching you must remember, is not
a modern art 1t was invented in the fifteenth
century, and was carried to high perfection by
such great painters as Rembrandt and Durer
In connection it would be well to say that an
etcher in the true sense of the word must
necessarily be finished draughtsman and
painter of no mean ability. A great etching is
the product of grandly constructed mind.
Every stroke of the etcher's needle has value
proportional to the skill and power of the artist.
A perfect etcher needs the skill and carefulness
Of the engraver, but must avoid the
logsms could L give, but L think these
few will serve to convey to the minds of the
public an idea of what true etcher should be,
As to the time required to perfect an etching
the artist may take day or he may take six
months. The most perfect specimens require
long time. Still very fine piece has been pro
dueed in few hours. Of course | refer here
to the work of the etcher not to the subsequent
processes through which the prepared plate must
go before the etching is ready for sale or public
exhibition"
"Please describe the process"
''The word etch is from the Greek and means
to eat " Mr.. Halle said. Etching, in the mod
ern acceptation of the term, signifies an inn
preston from metal plate, the lines in which
have been eaten out by aqua FORTS or nitric acid.
The etcher first has a perfectly smooth copper
plate This he covers evenly and care
fully with parafne or other soft wax.
A needle or sharp-pointed instrument,
sometimes called stylus is then
used by the artist TO draw the lines constituting
the picture he wishes to produce, The wax is
thus scraped away in lines of varying magni-
tude, each stroke of the needle laying bare the
metal under the wax After the details of the
drawing have been attended to with just as
much care and mathematical and artistical ex-
actitude as is devoted to a valuable painting or
water color the plate as prepared is placed in a
bath of nitric acid. In about half hour it is
taken out and the sections where but light lines
and cOlors are desired are recovered with wax.
Then the plate is put back in the acid which has
no chemical power over the wax. In short
time it is taken OUT again and those portions
where deeper lines than the first and less deep
than the second are desired covered with
wax. So the process goes on until the acid has
eaten its way into the copper to the desired
depth in every part of the plate. The wax COW
ering the plate is then scraped and washed
off with the aid of turpentine the
entire plate is carefully cleaned and examined,
Ii satisfactory, the etcher has plate from which
numerous finished works may be produced The
plate is linked with the finest of engravers ink
and fine Japanese paper is placed upon the plate,
and by pressure reproduces for the public the
results of the labor of the artist. Such is the
process of etching as universally followed
to-day"
In what respects do etching and engraving
differ
'In engraving each line is cut directly upon
the metal or wood by the engraver Neces
sarily none of the originality is displayed
that is to be seen in an etching, for the en-
graver works from a finished drawing, while
the etcher reproduces the creation of his
fancy or his artists eye directly The en-
graver uses an instrument called BURN; the
etcher, needle which corresponds in drawing to
a pencil. The BURN cuts perfectly regular line
which gives the finished work cold dull ap
pearance; the needle removes the wax in such
way as not to destroy the warmth and individu
ality of the workman. The acid eats out fur
rows which cause the finished production to as
sumo velvety, soft look. In etching, again. you
get absolute freedom because the needle plays
III the wax with even less friction tina. the pen
Gil on paper. The engraver is a translator; he
takes a composition to pieces and puts it togeth
er again on cold metal, and there is always dan
ger of some loss There is no individuality about
engraving while the finished etching is as Sey
mour Hayden remarks, the etcher's own hand
writing 1t is a ramble on copper"