International studio (20.1903)

(Gottenburg Gallery), and (Salon of
1903)-
Is not he the true artist who strives without
ceasing to renew himself? It was not enough for
Osterlind to be the painter we know, the sympa-
thetic poet of rustic life, the keen observer (at
times) of the Parisienne; no, he must needs
throw himself heart and soul into etching, and set
to work engraving Boucher's marvellous picture in
the Stockholm Gallery, or turning out some of the
delicate, graceful plates now reproduced in these
pages.
It may not be inappropriate here to say a word
concerning Osterlind's process of etching. M.
Pierrefort himself has given a very good definition
of engraving in colour: "It is," says he, "a
process which, eliminating almost entirely the
work of the needle and the graver, calls for its
effects solely on the aqua-fortis, which, thanks to
the co-operation of the varnish, models with

graduated impressions (7/M7W7W) the grains placed
on the metal." In order to dust the plate one
must cover the copper with fine resin powder,
which adheres to the metal by reason of its
warmth. This result is obtained by scattering a
fairly large quantity of pulverised resin in a box,
which should be as lofty as possible and hermetically
sealed. But first, by vigorous use of the bellows,
one must have dispersed the heaps of resin collected
at the bottom of the box, until the rising particles
shall have filled the receptacle as it were with
a thick smoke. Then through a narrow opening
in the box one introduces the metal plate, which
will soon be enveloped in a sort of whitish veil by
the falling resin dust. Then the plate is with-
drawn, and the next thing is to fix the dust. To
accomplish that the engraver gently heats the
reverse of the plate with a flame, and as the metal
grows warm the resin powder slowly melts upon it.
When the metal is cold again the resin adheres
and forms part and parcel
of the plate.
Such is the action of
the " eating-in" ; every
artist has his own par-
ticular process in connec-
tion therewith, and I do
not pretend now to enter
into all the secrets of en-
graving. SufRce it to say
that by means of multiple
coverings obtained from
the varnish, and of succes-
sive baths in the acid, the
figures will take form of
themselves, with the aid
of the brush. The art
of engraving is not to be
limited to a knowledge
of how, by means of
graduated wcTin/w, to pass
from white to black; it is
necessary also to foresee
what colour or what tint
such and such a 771^7*^1/^
will produce. For in-
stance, a vermilion placed
on a portion of the sur-
face, and too long kept in
the acid, and consequently
bitten too deep, would
come out a dusky red on
the print..
The impression of an
279

"A DANCE" FROM THE COLOURED ETCHING BY A. OSTERLIND
^7*7733^77773 ^ y]f. ^37-7.7.7