The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Papillon Rouge

Papillon Rouge

1973
Location: not on view

Description

In mezzotint, a metal plate is systematically worked over with a spiked tool (called a "rocker") until it is thoroughly roughened. If inked at this stage, it will print nearly solid black. The image is created when the engraver smooths out graduated highlights with a scraper or burnishing tool; the more burnished an area is, the less ink it will hold, and thus when the plate is printed the design will emerge from basic blackness. To create a color mezzotint, separate plates are prepared for each color, which are printed successively (so the colors are superimposed on one sheet). This method requires extreme precision: the plates must be exactly aligned so the colors do not appear out of register. The artist must give careful forethought to which elements of the composition should be drawn on each plate and in what order the plates should be printed to produce a cohesive final image. Here the individual plates are displayed next to a sheet where they have been printed separately to show how the artist conceived the design for each color.
  • East Meets West: Tradition and Innovation in Modern Japanese Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 19-May 28, 2000).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; March 19 - May 28, 2000. "East Meets West: Tradition and Innovation in Modern Japanese Prints."
    Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).
  • {{cite web|title=Papillon Rouge|url=false|author=Yozo Hamaguchi|year=1973|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.193