Page 243 - Eye of the beholder

original In general prints fall into three categories They may be a a a a a a a single print print set or or or a a a a a a a series or or illustrations in in printed book or or journal Aquatint was the the most popular of all the the tonal processes Like etching aquatint is also an intaglio printmaking technique technique (a printing technique technique in in in in in in in in which an image is is incised into a a a a a a a surface and these sunken lines hold ink) However aquatint is concerned with tonal gradations rather than incised lines It is is possible to to to add tonal effects to to to a a a a a a a a a printing plate that has already been worked with etched engraved or or dry point lines It was invented in in in in in 1650 in in in in in Amsterdam By 18th century it was popular in Europe for many decades from the 1770s onwards In England it was especially privileged among the the water colourists for the the delicate tonal gradations and textures of an an an aquatint that bore close resemblance to an an an original water colour painting In aquatint engraving a a a a a a a a a a a layer of resin particles resistant to acid was laid and then fused by heat on to to the the the plate plate When the the the plate plate was placed in in in an acid bath it etched into the the the minute areas between the the particles A stopping-out varnish was used to to create an image in in the the same way as in in in the the etching process and repeated dips in in in the the acid bath would create darker tones when printed Etching or line engraving was often combined with aquatint to strengthen the the the outlines of the the the composition During the the the initial years aquatint plate would be inked for printing in in in in one colour colour usually black Water colour colour then would be applied to the the print print by hand As expertise developed the same plate would be inked with three or or even more coloured inks with the the result that only touches of hand-colouring were needed to to complete the the effect The Daniells’ embellished this process with an an imaginative use of artistic license in in fin the final composition in order to convey a a a a a a greater sense of the overall site than a a a a a a narrower perspective could accurately portray It was the the idea of commercially exploiting their artistic work in in India that caused the the Daniells Daniells to conceive the the idea of of producing multiple sets of of prints Daniells Daniells set about learning the the craft of aquatinting surpassed their predecessors particularly William Hodges output moving beyond the the 48 prints issued by the the latter to to a a a total of of six-volumes of of 24 prints each The aquatint of of the the ‘View of of the the Esplanade Calcutta’ is subtly poetic in in in its tonal renderings The outlines of the the the human forms trees ships palanquin in in in the the the lower left foreground the the the houses and buildings in in in the the extreme right have a a a a a a strong linear quality Compositionally the the Daniells’ influenced by 17th century Dutch Artists particularly Jan Ruysdale who excelled in in landscape painting with the the the representation of of the the the three quarter of of the the the sky dominating which created a a a a a a a dramatic effect The light pouring in in from the the open sky as as as well as as as the the vast body of the water makes it it it sunny bright and lucid The composition with a a a a a a diagonal shore line cutting across dividing the land from water is equally dramatic These compositional devices make the the the works interesting stimulating a a a response in in in in in the the the viewer to investigate further 237