Rena Hoisington
Generously illustrated with rare works from the National Gallery’s collection of early aquatints, this book explores how European artists harnessed the medium’s potential to exchange information and ideas during the Enlightenment.
How can a print replicate the subtlety of ink, wash, and watercolor? Three centuries ago, printmakers and collectors in Europe answered this challenge with aquatint, an innovative new medium that allowed original works of art to be reproduced and disseminated widely. Considered a technological marvel, aquatint contributed to the rise of art publishing, connoisseurship, leisure travel, and drawing instruction, as well as to the spread of neoclassicism.
Jean-Baptiste Le Prince, the “first aquatint celebrity,” was known for his prolific output and extensive self-promotion, much like a social media influencer today. Other artists recognized for their sophisticated experiments with aquatint include Katharina Prestel in Germany, Paul Sandby in England, and Francisco Goya in Spain.
Rena Hoisington, curator and head of old master prints at the National Gallery of Art, provides insightful essays on the artists and works that launched an international trend. Generously illustrated with rare works from the National Gallery’s collection of early aquatints, this book explores how European artists harnessed the medium’s potential to exchange information and ideas during the Enlightenment.
| Skip FB/IG Feed? | No |
|---|---|
| Description | How can a print replicate the subtlety of ink, wash, and watercolor? Three centuries ago, printmakers and collectors in Europe answered this challenge with aquatint, an innovative new medium that allowed original works of art to be reproduced and disseminated widely. Considered a technological marvel, aquatint contributed to the rise of art publishing, connoisseurship, leisure travel, and drawing instruction, as well as to the spread of neoclassicism. Jean-Baptiste Le Prince, the “first aquatint celebrity,” was known for his prolific output and extensive self-promotion, much like a social media influencer today. Other artists recognized for their sophisticated experiments with aquatint include Katharina Prestel in Germany, Paul Sandby in England, and Francisco Goya in Spain. Rena Hoisington, curator and head of old master prints at the National Gallery of Art, provides insightful essays on the artists and works that launched an international trend. Generously illustrated with rare works from the National Gallery’s collection of early aquatints, this book explores how European artists harnessed the medium’s potential to exchange information and ideas during the Enlightenment.
|
