Kadosaka Ryu Birds Wings, 2004 Engraving
The controversial “Crush!” commercial video for Apples new iPad Pro released in May of this year.
The video was criticized by some for the way the giant press crushes guitars, trumpets, cameras, game characters, 3D emojis, and other objects, causing them to appear as if they had been condensed into an iPad.
The crushed appearance was seen as destructive.
Apple later issued an apology, saying that it had missed the point.
Pressed is an irreplaceable tool for creators.
Leaving the discussion of what kind of impression the commercials direction gave to whom to be left to individual judgment, we will focus here on the “tools” that were the target of the press, with a particular focus on creators, and artists in particular.
For many artists, tools are important as a method of production.
Now that we have a press, let us take printmaking as an example.
Prints can be classified into four types: woodblock (letterpress), copperplate (intaglio), lithograph (planographic), and silkscreen (stencil).
Copperplate prints are discussed here.
Copperplate techniques include direct techniques such as engraving, drypoint, mezzotint,
and indirect techniques such as etching, aquatint, and soft ground etching.
Lets take a closer look at mezzotint and list the necessary tools.
Mezzotint was invented in Germany around the middle of the 17th century, mainly as a means of reproducing masterpieces, and became popular in England.
The technique, known in French as “manière noir” (black technique/style), begins by making numerous scratches on the copper plate to create wisps. The wisps are then scraped or polished and ink is applied to the surface of the plate to produce tones of light and dark between black and white.
A tool called a “berceau (rocker)” is needed to make wisps on the plate. This tool, which has blades arranged in the shape of a comb, produces the black matiere characteristic of mezzotint.
Kiyoshi Hasegawa (1891-1980), known as the “master of 20th century copperplate engraving,” was one of the artists fascinated by mezzotint.
He is known today for his revival of mezzotint.
Although Berceau is now available at art supply stores, it was difficult for Hasegawa to obtain tools at that time, as mezzotint techniques were being forgotten due to the development of photographic technology. After reading old technique books and making his own tools through trial and error, he finally succeeded in acquiring a Bersaud from England in 1922.
What was Hasegawas mindset at that time?
It is not difficult to imagine the expectations and possibilities he must have felt for his creative work when he first held this tool in his hand.
Kadosaka Ryu “Curl (cat)” 2008 Engraving
Now, even if you dont have a “berceau”, you can substitute another tool for the grading.
For example, you can use a cutter or a knife to do the graining.
Komai Tetsuro (1920-1976), a pioneer of copperplate engraving, also created mezzotint works with a knife.
The appeal of this work is its soft black with gaps, which is different from the black with sharp contrasts expressed by Hasegawa.
In short, it is possible to create a tool for making a mezzotint by the ingenuity of the user, even if the name of the tool is different from the original.
The process of graining requires patience and labor, which can be reduced by using a special machine for graining.
Artists have access to tools that are both old and new technology to refine their expression.
At the end of the iPad Pro commercial video, the tools were crushed by the press and spat out as multicolored paint.
Is this a metaphor for the emergence of a toolbox with many choices? The video asks the question, "What will you paint with these tools? At the same time, the iPad Pro is just one of the tools.
Now, painter David Hockney has been using the iPad to create paintings in recent years.
After experimenting with printmaking, painting, photography, and video, Hockney began drawing with an iPad he acquired in 2010, as if he were keeping a diary.
The artist, who spends less time and creates more drawings than he does paintings (*), chose the iPad as a tool that would allow him to take advantage of its characteristics. It is not that the drawings are great because they were done on an iPad, but rather that the overwhelming volume and continuity of the artists skillful use of the tool opened up further possibilities for expression.
Like Kiyoshi Hasegawa mentioned above, I imagine that Hockney must have been full of anticipation and excitement in his heart when he first held those tools in his hands, in front of the finished painting.
Tools that bring excitement.
It is interesting to look at art by paying attention to the selection of tools, isnt it?
REFERENCES (*) [...If he did about 150 paintings, there are approximately 1,500 drawings. No, it might be more than that. (...) I may spend six months or more on a painting, but I have never spent more than three days on a drawing, and I usually do it in 24 hours.] -Quoted from “David Hockney, Conversation with Pierre Restany, Paris, France, July 1974,” p. 196, exhibition catalogue, David Hockney Exhibition (July 2023).
text : tomiko mabuchi
While the mezzotint technique was discussed in the column, the works introduced in Walls Tokyo are those of the Kadosaka school, which has independently mastered the engraving technique, said to be one of the oldest copperplate engraving techniques. Engraving is a technique that is also used in the printing of banknotes.
This column was sent as part of our newsletter dated August 2, 2024.
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