Impressions of the Artist: Nineteenth-Century American Etching

Etchings by Homer, Cassatt, and others on view in the Scott Gallery

Aug. 18, 2007 - Jan. 21, 2008

In conjunction with the exhibition “Pressed in Time: American Prints 1905–1950,” which opens Oct. 6 in the Boone Gallery, a selection of 11 etchings from an earlier century will be showcased in a small exhibition in the Scott Gallery. “Impressions of the Artist: Nineteenth-Century American Etching” will be on view from Aug. 18, 2007 through Jan. 21, 2008.

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Etching, a form of printmaking, became popular in the United States in the 1880s, reflecting a revival of the medium in France and England during the mid-19th century. The prints of American expatriate artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), with their careful, atmospheric compositions and scenes of daily life, inspired many other artists to experiment with the technique. Etching clubs in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia also helped to introduce the medium in the United States and were instrumental in bringing recognition to printmaking as a valid art form.

Etching gained the widest appeal of all printmaking techniques because the prints maintained the appearance of a drawing but could be reproduced easily. To make an etching, the artist uses a sharp, pointed tool to scratch an image through a resinous coating, or ground, on a metal plate. The plate is immersed in acid that bites into the areas of exposed metal where the resin has been scratched away, creating incised lines that hold ink. To print from the etched plate, the ground is removed, and then the plate is inked and pressed to paper, creating an impression of the incised lines. The relative ease of scratching away the ground, rather than engraving directly into the hard metal plate, allows the artist’s personal style to be visible in the finished print.

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Works by Whistler, Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, and other important American printmakers will be on view.

Megan Avalos

Getty Multicultural Intern

“Impressions of the Artist: Nineteenth-Century American Etching” is curated by Getty Multi-cultural Intern Megan Avalos and American Art Intern Sarah Bane.

Winslow Homer, Lifeline, 1887. Etching.  The Huntington

Mary Cassatt, By the Pond, ca. 1895-1898. Etching, drypoint, aquatint, watercolor. The Huntington

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, The Music Room, ca. 1858. etching. The Huntington