Unit 12 Live Brief. Mother & Child. Incogniton Intaglio

In the afternoon of the 5/5/2017, I completed an Intaglio print from a secondary research image as a reference. The image I selected was deliberately in a minimalist presentation. I choose  to produce a print with this image because, I felt that it would be successful and effective print-and I was correct in my thinking so.

Intaglio is method of printing where-oil based Intaglio ink-which is contained within large tins, not tubes-is applied to an aluminium sheet-in a coat as thinly as possible-using the edges of a card scrap. (The smooth thin layer of the ink is necessary for a successful print.)

As an oil based medium, Intaglio ink will stain-just as oil paints do so. So during the preparation of an Intaglio print, one must take protective precautions by wearing disposable gloves and an apron. Removing all jewellery is advisable, as is not wearing your Sunday best during Intaglio printing-it is a time consuming and messy process. And I do not use "messy" in a light way either.

Once you are well protected and you've scraped the ink over the metal sheet, the next stages of the Intaglio process can begin. Intaglio is a form of printing, where the print is produced by scraping away ink from the covered plate. And the design drawn on the plate is made, using cotton buds for the line work and damp cotton rags for the removal of larger areas.

For the removal of the ink, using the damp material, one does so in a circular fashion. The damp state of the cotton rag and the paper on which one applies to the plate-and then through the printing press-is also vital is it helps in producing a cleaner print.

Once your design has been scraped and rubbed away, you place the plate, facing upwards and a sheet of damp paper, on top of it. On the top and below these two items are layers of paper, and on the top and bottom of those layers, are thick fabric sheets. Once the materials are properly layered, its then time to put this through the printing press!

When the entire sandwich is pressed out, in the opposite direction, one peels the plate, away from the damp sheet-and on the sheet-the Intaglio print has been produced!

Insert image(S) of your own intaglio print(S) as well as analysis of outcome(s)

Unit 12 Live Brief. Mother And Child. Oil Pianting Artist Profile. Arthur Jackson

Arthur Jackson Hepworth-known as Arthur Jackson/Arthur Hepworth in the art world. Artist and architect, he passed way in 2003-aged 91. (Born 1911). Through out his creative life, he was involved, constructed and participated in the movements of abstract, modernist, surrealism. My regards for Jackson's/Hepworth's oil work perhaps reflects in my own, personal delight in both abstract and surrealist movements in general.

The piece above is a painting that uses oil and graphite on canvas, entitled "Painting", and completed in 1937. The piece is an example of the "The Constructive Idea" which is a concept that proposes that form and content should be both the same thing. Personally, in my own interpretation,  I feel that the subject matter is architecture, and it has been interpreted in a very abstract manner. Jacksons abstract interpretation of architecture has been made to appear three dimensional. By Jackson using a combination of precise measurements and intuition, he has overlaid individual forms-which think is rather clever.

Similarly, John Cecil Stephenson used architecture in an abstract fashion in his 1937 Painting-which uses Tempera on canvas.  A link to the piece in

question; http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/stephenson-painting-t00617.  When comparing both pieces one observes that, both pieces were completed in 1937, have overlapping forms, and interpret the architecture in an abstract manner. However Jacksons' pieces uses curved forms, and Stephenson's piece uses straight and angular forms and lines. Both pieces suggest that the artists were both heavily influence by the Bauhaus movement.

Returning to Jacksons piece, the painting has chosen a primary colour scheme with tints and shades present. The colours selected are quite discordant-and clash with each other. The main colour that dominates this piece is blue, with a mixture of form line and shapes found within the piece. The work has a unified and consistent texture, too.

As Bauhaus influenced piece, dominated by hues of blue, this piece entraps the sensation of being alone in a building and how lonely this can feel. One implies that this piece in particular would suite the inside of a building or room that specializes the treatment of those with building/room/space associated fears-i.e., fear of heights, claustrophobia or social anxiety, and the painting-to me-emanates auras of depression and sensation of being alone in a wide and vast ocean. Trapped with water all around me.

Unit 12 Live Brief. Mother & Child. Itaglio Artist Profile. Jean Sariano

  Born May 30th, 1943 in Oran, Algeria, Sariano is an Algerian/American artist, he was  heavily involved in the Pop Art Movement-as evidenced in his prints and paintings. My reason for finding his work so enjoyable is because of how surrealist/abstract it is is-not only is it  another format of the Pop Art movement-it also happens to be a quirky and uniquely amusing one. His work remind me of an illustrator of a children's book. Light hearted and minimalist, Sariano's work is delightful cheerful.

A bonus below for locating an Intaglio Print that is also connected to the project!
The piece below is an Aquatint Etching, which was signed and titled in pencil, and completed in 1979. The subject matter of the work is motherhood-specifically the birth of a child. I feel that this piece was produced from imagination because of the anatomically inaccurate presentation, and the clear evidence that this is a surrealist pieces of an abstract nature.

I believe that this piece is to be taken at face value-it is an expectant mother with her off spring emerging from her womb, in a way that more resembles a chick hatching from its calcium shell casement.

The piece has been arranged in a simple and balanced manner, and the artist has chosen a single and flat colour scheme; red, blew, pink and grey for the background. The red hue is the most dominant in the piece. The piece is a mixture of lines; curved and straight. I believe hat the print holds together as a unified whole-as a piece with flat colours-with multiple triangle shapes also found within the piece.

As this is an Intaglio print-and I have also used Intaglio in a minimalist fashion-my handling of the technique suggest a successful application of my skills in Intaglio printing.

When observing the work one gets an impression of startled surprise. Evidenced possibly in the expression of the mother figure in the piece. The piece conveys feelings of
unexpected shocks found within life, be it a baby or marriage proposal. And my feelings about this piece-I feel-are neutral. The surprised expression will be with me every time I look at this painting, but I feel neither delight nor disgust when looking at this piece-my feelings are content and neutral.

Jean Sariano

Jean