b'Intaglio printmaking techniques such as engraving and etch- Soft-ground etching produces only a subtle pattern (Figure 2). ing begin with a polished copper plate. An image is carved orThe process is vividly illustrated by Janet Ruttenberg and master etched from the plate surface with specialized tools and chem- printer Donn Steward in the video shown here. They faithfully ical processes. Burins and gravers are used to incise the designreproduced Mary Cassatt\'s 1891 print, "In the Omnibus". (Figure 1)directly into an engraving plate. Multiple steps are required to make an etching. The surface of the copper plate is first cov- Mary Cassatt, (1844-1926) was an American artist who stud-ered with an acid-resistant coating. The artist uses an etchingied painting and printmaking in Philadelphia before moving needle (or similar implement) to make a drawing through thisto Paris in 1866. There, she studied privately with Jean Lon layer. The drawing exposes the copper plate to subsequent bit- Grme. Cassatt was inspired to make color prints when she ing (etching) in an acid bath.saw Japanese woodcuts in a momentous exhibition of Japanese art that took place in Paris in 1890. Nothing like the Japanese To make a print, a completed plate is covered with ink and thewoodcut tradition existed in France, however, French printing excess is wiped away. A sheet of paper is placed on the platehouses were renowned for their expertise in color printing from and the two are run through a press. Under pressure, the inkmultiple metal plates.is lifted from every incised and etched line on the plate. Apart from a thin film, a polished copper surface will not hold ink.ManyImpressionistartists,whoseacademictrainingencom-Numerous techniques are employed to print broad areas ofpasseddrawingandpaintingexclusively,wereenthusiastic tone from a plate surface. about the medium of printing. Several experimented with the help of printers who were also academy members. Cassatt alone The aquatint process employs ground rosin which is applied tofully explored the rigorous technical demands of color etching. Figure 1 the plate and heated. The melted grains of rosin bond to theShe worked with a professional printer who is credited on eachFigure 2Mary Cassatt, In the Omnibus, 1890-91,plate and resist etching. In the acid bath, the plate surface is etched aroundimpression from the edition of her phenomenal color etchings.Mary Cassatt, In the Omnibus, 1890-91, Library of Congress,National Gallery of Art,FP-XIXC343, no. 145, detail of soft-ground patternChester Dale Collection, 1963.10.150 the melted grains only. When printed, aquatint yields a middle tone, the resultThe results are considered her greatest artistic achievement.of many white voids surrounded by ink. (Figure 3) This characteristic pattern isFigure 3unavoidable, even when the aquatint grain is extremely fine. Francisco de Goya, La lealtad, National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Collection, 1951.10.59, detail of aquatint pattern56 57'