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Etching, like copper engraving is an intaglio process. There is little difference between the two methods, except that the lines, in the case of an etching, are not engraved directly into the plate (often also of copper), but are produced with acid (nitric acid or sulphuric acid). The plate is coated with a thin layer of wax or asphalt, called the ground. The design is then easily drawn into the soft coating. The acid can only eat into the metal where the needle has pierced the ground, thus producing the drawing. After removing the ground, the prints are made as in copper engraving. The technique of the etching permits the most delicate lines and requires little physical effort.
The result is particularly interesting when the plate is exposed to the acid in stages. The finest lines are produced by leaving the plate in the acid for a short time only. Therefore, the plate is taken out of the bath, the lines meant to be delicate ones are covered again with ground, and the plate is replaced in the liquid. The other lines will then come out more strongly. A great variety of tone and chiaroscuro are easy to achieve and it is therefore not surprising that Rembrandt, the greatest master of the etching, should have shown such an interest in this technique. The beginnings of the etching date from the time of Dürer ( Dürer himself had etched on iron). The etching has lost none of its importance since the 17th century.
Several variants have been developed in the course of time. As in copper engraving, there is a manner of producing a softer effect, called vernis mou or soft ground etching. The paper is placed on the soft ground and the drawing made. The pencil presses into the ground, thus exposing the plate, which is then etched; the resultant outlines will appear relatively soft. The aquatint was invented by Le Prince in 1768. Here, the plate is covered with rosin grains and heated, so that the rosin will cling to the metal. Having covered areas that are meant to come out light in the drawing with ground, thus exposing the plate, which is then etched, the latter is put into the acid. It has to be immersed a number of times, depending on the desired effect. Ground and rosin must, of course, be removed before printing. The general effect will resemble that of a wash drawing. The etching needle can also be used directly on the plate without using any acid. Artists like Corinth and the Expressionists liked this method, which is more immediate and more personal. It can be distinguished from the etching by the pointed endings to the lines. As in copper engraving, coloured prints can be produced by using several plates.
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