POOR VENUCE IN DAFFODIL ILLUSION Printmaking By Jerry Di Falco

Year:

Medium:

Intaglio Print

Size - (USA):

11 W x 15 H x 1 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

27.9 W x 38.1 H x 2.5 D (centimeters)

Theme:

Optical

Edition:

5

Artwork ID:

598523

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

This is print number 2 from the SECOND Edition of Four Editions, and each edition was limited to FIVE prints. The etching employed the studio techniques of aquatint, intaglio, drypoint, and Chine colle. The zinc plate measured nine inches high by six inches wide, or 22.860cm x 15.240cm. The print was executed in oil based inks on RivesBFK white paper, which measured eleven inches wide by fifteen inches high, or 27.940cm x 38.100cm. Thai mulberry bark paper and methylcellulose were used in the Chine colle process. This particular work required five Nitric acid baths. This etching exposes the underside of Venice before the dawn of the Twentieth Century by showing and documenting a poor, working class neighborhood with its people and their mundane tasks. My balance of line, geometric shapes, and shadows forms my personal visual language of poverty’s oppression. Please note that this etching is shipped to the buyer without a frame or mat. This keeps the price reasonable and also allows the collector a wide range of choice in framing selection. For shipment, a sturdy cardboard box is employed. The etching is first wrapped in two layers of acid free glassine and then placed between two archival boards. This is next placed into the shipping box and securely packed with bubble wrap. The price does not include any shipment costs. Etching is a complicated process. This hand-pulled work by DI FALCO can be labeled photo-centric, because the printmaker based his preliminary drawings on an 1890 chrome print in the US Library of Congress collection, Washington D. C. The printmaker completed three graphite drawings of the chrome print before beginning his etching process, which now involves selecting the drawing that he wishes to transfer onto the zinc plate. Once this is done, the preparation of the etching plate commences. First, the plate’s edges are each filed to smooth the sharpness. This prevents tearing of the press blankets. Next, the topside of the plate is coated with a ground of beeswax mineral spirits, which is then left to dry overnight. The artist coats the back of his drawing with graphite and transfers it onto the grounded plate in reverse. He next etches his lines directly onto the coated plate with needles, which is a process called INTAGLIO, pronounced in-tal-eyo. The plate then goes into a Nitric acid bath, which allows the acid to eat-into any exposed lines or areas. The plate is then wiped clean with turpentine and washed with soap, alcohol, and or cleansers. Finally the oil-based ink is applied evenly to the plate and then pushed into the lines with a cloth. After this, the artist cleans off all excess ink. The plate is then placed onto the press and covered with etching paper, which is next covered with blotting paper and three press blankets. The artist then wheels the press bed through its rollers. These steps were repeated several times before arriving at the desired design. The studio techniques of AQUATINT, using powdered resin to cause a shading effect, and DRYPOINT, etching with a needle directly onto the plate, can also be employed. Di Falco manually prints his etchings on a large, freestanding Charles Brand Printing Press made in New York City.

Artwork Keywords:   Original Printmaking

Materials:   Intaglio Prints