Ian Strang was born in London, oldest son of the artist William Strang. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London and at the Académie Julian, Paris. He was an etcher and draughtsman in the academic Slade tradition. His landscapes, often of Southern European locations, although meticulously drawn can have a certain austerity and coolness. His early works used drypoint to produce tonal effects whereas his latter works used a pure etching technique.

Glossary

  • Drypoint

    An intaglio printing process where the lines are scored directly into the plate with a sharp needle, which can be used much like a pen. The line leaves a deposit of metal in its wake known as a burr, which when printed holds a small deposit of ink and gives the drypoint line a characteristic softness of tone. Its disadvantage is that such plates wear out quickly, so editions are usually limited to 50 or fewer prints. Drypoint is often combined with other printing techniques.

  • Etching

    An intaglio process whereby a metal plate (normally copper, zinc or steel) is covered with an acid-resistant layer of rosin mixed with wax. With a sharp point, the artist draws through this ground to reveal the plate beneath. The plate is then placed in an acid bath (a water and acid solution) and the acid bites into the metal plate where the drawn lines have exposed it. The waxy ground is cleaned off and the plate is covered in ink and then wiped clean, so that ink is retained only in the etched lines. The plate can then be printed through an etching press. The strength of the etched lines depends on the length of time the plate is left in the acid bath.

See in

  • Art Project