The Etchings of Francisco De Goya

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Goya's Technique
It is not known how Goya learned the complex technique of etching. A publication of 1778 records him as an engraver, and his earliest etchings are thought to have been copies of Velázquez paintings in the royal collection. In making prints, Goyas most commonly used etching or aquatint, or a combination of the two. Etching was first used by 15th century armorers to create designs on metal by means of acid mordant; the technique was adapted for making prints in the early 16th century. The process involves covering a copper plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then drawing a design in the ground with an etching needle, thus exposing the surface of the plate. Goya is known to have drawn his images on paper first and then transferred them to the plates. Once the design is etched, the plate (its back varnished for protection) is immersed in a bath of acid, which bites the exposed areas, embedding the design in the surface. The depth of the etched line depends upon the length of time the plate is submerged; the artist can re-bite lines that are too shallow, but the design, and even the plate, can be destroyed if left too long in the acid. Because etching involves drawing into a soft ground (rather than metal, for example, as in the case of engraving), the etched line is typically clean and can be delicate, intricate, and spontaneous--much like drawing.

"Aquatint" literally means "water color." If the etching needle corresponds to the pen or pencil in drawing, aquatint is the equivalent of the watercolor wash, which permits a greatly expanded tonal range. Discovered in 1660, aquatint was perfected in the 18th century.The process involves distributing fine particles of acid-resistant resin over certain areas of the plate, then heating the plate so that the resin adheres. Areas of the plate to be left white are "stopped out" with varnish, and the plate is immersed in acid. Texture is determined by the size and distribution of the resin grains--the finer and more even, the more like watercolor in appearance; the depth of tone depends on the length of time in the acid. Goya used the demanding medium of aquatint with unprecedented subtlety, and in so doing transformed the line-based etching, greatly expanding its tonal and expressive range. Once etched to the artist's satisfaction, the plate is inked and wiped so that ink remains only in the areas intended to print. Paper is applied to the surface of the plate, and together, they are put through a press, which transfers the image, in reverse, to the paper. The fact that etching reverses the image further complicates the artist's task, requiring him to draw the original design as the mirror opposite of the ultimate composition.