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François Bonvin

The Etcher, 1861

Description

Maker

  • François Bonvin, 1817-1887, French

Title

The Etcher

Year

1861

Medium

Etching and drypoint on vellum

Dimensions

Image/plate: 21.4 x 16.3 cm (8 7/16 x 6 7/16 inches)

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Prints

Credit

Gift of Donato Esposito

Object Number

2016.111.2

Projects & Publications

Publications

Altered States

Etching in Late 19th-Century Paris
Read Online

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Altered States

June 30 - December 3, 2017

Focused on the introspection and privacy of etching, this self-portrait shows the artist alone in a darkened interior. A screen, used to evenly diffuse light, separates him from the room’s only lamp. His forward posture and intense focus suggest that etching is a solitary and meditative practice.

Bonvin often enhanced the subject matter of his drawings and prints through a careful choice of paper. This impression is on vellum, a luxury material made from animal skin. Its smooth surface emphasized the dense layers of inky lines, encouraging the same sort of close study in which the artist himself was engaged.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is The Etcher with the accession number of 2016.111.2. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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