Prepare to discover the darkness. Mezzotints, Prints of Darkness, the new exhibit at the Chazen Museum of Art, is a foray into the shadowy world of mezzotint prints. The exhibit, which runs until Oct. 25, is a revealing glimpse into the largely unknown medium.
The exhibit is a surprisingly captivating display of mezzotints from conception to contemporary exploration and perfection. You needn’t be familiar with the medium since the collection carries in-depth descriptions of technique and development for each piece. Read the background information, and wander over to the glass case displaying the tools and outlining the intricate procedure. Learning more about mezzotints only serves to deepen the appreciation for the unique artwork on display.
Developed largely in the 17th century by Wallerant Vaillant and Prince Rupert von der Pfalz, mezzotint (meaning “half-painted” in Italian) was created from a desire to capture the richness in tone of a painting through print work. The artists use copper plates and metal tools to etch away lighter areas that will not hold ink. The technique itself is a study in using depth to create lightness, and the resulting prints are rich in depth of shadow. The style is remarkable for its breadth of finish, ranging from a visible crosshatch to softness resembling an impressionist painting.
What the collection lacks in size — it is located in the Mayer Gallery, a small room on the first floor of the museum — it more than makes up for in scope. The exhibit displays a wide range of pieces, from Rembrandt’s contemporaries to modern American artists like Craig McPherson. It exposes the versatility of mezzotinting, as one can see the changing style with the movements of the times.
The exhibit invites you to explore luscious textures and shadows that create incredible likenesses to cascading fabrics and rock faces. “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” (1824-26) is English artist John Martin’s brilliant example of the medium’s potential for precision while retaining a slightly fuzzy quality. Description plates accompanying the pieces frequently use the word “velvety” to portray this signature finish. One can’t help but be amazed while contemplating the amount of time and caution that went into diligently etching away small dots on the plate to create such near photographic quality.
The nicely curated pieces capture realistic human portraits, still life scenes and abstract studies using color. The latter subject is captured wonderfully by Czech artist Jir? Anderle’s “Cruel Game for a Man” (1976), a colorful and large piece showing slightly distorted human forms and faces with a slight feeling of anguish. By merely contemplating the technique one wouldn’t be sure mezzotints could carry the emotion of a painting, but the piece does it beautifully. Most pieces of the collection carry a sense of mystery and a feeling of being encompassed in shadow.
In a time when graphic design is widely accessible and hard to avoid, this exhibit serves to illuminate the roots of mass printing techniques. There are no excuses not to attend — admission is free and the Chazen lies in the heart of Madison. If you find yourself wanting more, make sure you catch the gallery talk with the curator Andrew Stevens on Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. in the Mayer Gallery. Let your curiosity carry you into the shadows of mezzotint, and the collection will be printed on your memory.
