The rapid and increasing influence that digital technology has had on contemporary arthas, I believe, drawn interest away from engraving and above all the more traditional technique of etching.This has obviously not been a direct consequence but the inevitable result of the desire to experiment andthe quest for innovation which have taken the limelight away from all those techniques which are complicated to achieve and which are time consumingand which require discipline and a great deal of patience.
Engraving inevitably calls for a number of skills which are indispensible when preparing even the most basic plate block. One must have sound knowledge of how metals, acids, and paints react and interact before embarking on the creation stage. A set of mandatory procedures must be carried out before the printing stage is reached, if the desired results are to be achieved.To simplify: colours may be applied or splashed onto a canvas more or less haphazardly without compromisingthe meldingof its underlying message, the approach used or the final result. But, with a plate block, the varnish must be appliedfollowingspecific procedures, the acid bath must be carefully monitored , and printing must be precise and timely. Desired results will only be achieved by scrupulously respecting these procedures.
Nowadays, incisionsremain the domain of those who are patient and meticulous by nature and who also have time to invest in the process. Perhaps that is not such a bad thing; after all, it discourages people who believe that almost anything can be done by taking technological shortcuts or by using a computer programme which enhances or retouches at the click of a mouse.
“Incisively”thus takes on the role of a document which testifies what expertly and skilfully executed engraving techniques can achieve in the art world, producing prints which are equally as important as paintings.Considering the scant results of contemporary painting, they may even have an added extra if we consider the “manual” aspect which evokes the image of the artist’s workshop which, once upon a time, would have been viewed disparagingly.This combination of manual dexterity and techniques takes on a positive connotation because it does justice to those artists who shun contemporary art – the type which is conceptual, scenographic; an end in itself- and “real” painting which is stale, oozes technique and says nothing.
In this catalogue I present examples of the main incision techniques together with illustrations of my work spanning from my early days of experimentation in 1975, to the present day.
It also includes works by other artists whom I met and spent time with in Venice and Paris during my formative years as an artist and with whom I have often taken part in exhibitions dedicated to the graphic arts. Works by great artists (such as De Chirico, Fetting, Leonor Fini and Tramontin) further extend the horizon I wish to present. My special, yet regrettably posthumous thanks go to the great Henri Goetz for the knowledge and inspiration which his teachings and works have afforded me.
