Busacca Gallery

Art etching, ''A day of Skiing W2,'' by John Stoll (Californian, 1889-1974), signed ''John Stoll'' and titled lower margin, overall: 14''h x 11''w (American, 20th century), Property of various owners. Born in Goettingen, Germany on Sept. 29, 1889. Stoll showed artistic inclinations at an early age, and had some art training at Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden. Most of his early life was spent as a sailor and, with an artist's eye, he acquainted himself with most all sailing vessels. He lived in South America for a few years before settling in San Francisco in 1915. The PPIE of that year awakened his yearnings to become an artist. Other than a brief period at the CSFA, he was a self-taught.

Copper etching is a printmaking technique that involves incising or etching lines and textures onto a copper plate, inking the plate, and transferring the inked image onto paper or another surface to create a print. Copper etching has a long history that spans several centuries, with its roots in early metalworking techniques. The origins of copper etching can be traced back to the Middle Ages when metalworkers used techniques such as niello and engraving to create decorative metal objects. These techniques involved incising lines or designs onto metal surfaces, often using sharp tools or acids. The use of acids for etching metal can be dated back to the 15th century, when armorers and goldsmiths began using nitric acid to etch designs onto metal objects. However, it was not until the late 15th and early 16th centuries that copper plates specifically began to be used for printmaking. Artists and printmakers began using copper plates for etching as a way to reproduce their drawings and paintings, and to create multiple copies of their artwork for distribution. One of the early pioneers of copper etching was the German artist Daniel Hopfer (c. 1470-1536), who is often credited with being the first to use etching as a technique for printmaking. Hopfer used iron plates coated with a layer of wax to create his etchings, which he would then incise with a needle or other sharp tool, and then apply acid to bite the lines into the metal. He would then ink the plate and transfer the image onto paper, creating etchings with intricate details and textures. In the following years, other artists such as Parmigianino and Lucas van Leyden also experimented with copper etching, further developing the technique and pushing the boundaries of what was possible with this new form of printmaking. In the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age of printmaking saw the rise of artists such as Rembrandt, who used copper etching to create masterful prints with rich tonalities and dramatic lighting effects. During the 18th and 19th centuries, copper etching continued to evolve, with artists experimenting with different ways to prepare and etch the plates, as well as different inking and printing techniques. In the 19th century, the invention of lithography, a new form of printmaking that did not require etching on metal plates, gained popularity, and copper etching declined in popularity. However, copper etching experienced a revival in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with artists such as James Whistler and Samuel Palmer using the technique to create innovative and expressive prints. In the modern era, artists and printmakers continue to use copper etching as a traditional and versatile printmaking technique, often combining it with other methods such as aquatint, drypoint, and mezzotint to create unique and varied prints. Today, copper etching remains a respected and widely practiced form of printmaking, appreciated for its ability to produce finely detailed and expressive images with a distinctive aesthetic. It has also become a part of art history, with prints made using copper etching techniques being preserved in museums and private collections around the world, showcasing the rich heritage and evolution of this unique printmaking technique.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etching

Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal (the original process—in modern manufacturing other chemicals may be used on other types of material). As an intaglio method of printmaking, it is, along with engraving, the most important technique for old master prints, and remains in wide use today.