The History of Mezzotint

Mezzotint was invented in Germany in the 17th century by an amateur artist, Ludwig von Siegen. At this time, the only method of achieving texture on the copper plate was cross-hatching and the artists who reproduced the great works of art found that the techniques available, did not convey the beauty and subtle qualities of the original paintings. By using this new method of mezzo-tint, nuances in the old master paintings were much easier to reproduce because of what the rocked plate offered; deep, rich blacks and textural hints that were not possible with the earlier methods. The most important characteristic, and the starting ground of every image is produced by "rocking" back and forth on the copper plate in eight different directions. This instrument, (aptly called the "rocker") , is a bevel-edged, very sharp, crescent-shaped steel tool. When moved in a rocking motion on the copper plate it cuts or incises burrs, or ruts onto the softer metal. If rocked in different directions it will produce intersecting lines, and when looked at, under magnification, many mountains and valleys are evident. This is called the ground. If inked at this stage, the copper plate, which has now become a matte surface (from the original shiny copper surface), would produce a soft, lush, deep black. The image is then created by pushing down on those "mountains". The more the artist pushes, the deeper the copper is depressed, and this pushing begins to shine or "burnish" the plate. The instrument used to push down those mountains is called a "burnisher". When printed, those deeply pressed areas do not pick up any ink that is rolled onto the plate; only the mountains or "ground" pick up the ink. The genius is not the black and whites that are achieved, but the unbelievable greys that can be produced; ergo, the name; mezzo, and tinto, or half and tone in Italian.

Mezzotinting proved to be very important in the 17th and 18th centuries reproducing the great masters and even spawning some original work by artists who had been etchers and engravers. Holland, Belgium, France and Great Britain used the medium to each countries own artistic idiosyncrasies and it also traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to be used in the new colonies. The invention of steel plates for etching and engraving, the French Revolution and the industrial revolution succeeded in making the mezzotint underutilized and almost forgotten.

When photography was invented, the mezzotint was put aside almost completely. There was a modest recovery, in England during the late 19th century, when a few of the printmakers of the Royal Academy (London) produced original mezzotints. It was the re-birth of printmaking in post World War II France that brought the mezzotint back to its full glory. Workshops specializing in printmaking under the direction of Stanley William Hayter and his Atelier 17, and Johnny Friedlaender created the need to look at older techniques and it was the curiosity created by this ambience of change that allowed a young Japanese student, Yozo Hamaguchi, and a student studying with Marc Chagall, Mario Avati, to experiment and commit themselves to the mezzotint. Today, the mezzotint is used by hundreds of accomplished and emerging printmakers throughout the world though it is still a relatively rare medium.