British Council Collection
© Estate of John Bellany. All rights reserved 2023 / Bridgeman Images
GROUSE/CAPERCAILLE 1986
John Bellany (1942 – 2013)
Details
- Dimension
- 56 X 75.5 CM
- Media
- ETCHING
- Accession number
- P5466
Summary
Whilst in his final year at University Charles Booth-Clibborn publishedThe Scottish Bestiaryunder his imprint The Paragon Press. Booth-Clibborn had invited the Orkney born writer George Mackay Brown to produce texts, in the form of poetry and prose, to accompany 20 prints by Scottish artists depicting 19 animals – real and mythological. John Bellany chose three poems and used them as a starting point for his prints. He drew directly onto the etching plates, having made preparatory drawings. Although Bellany selected Mackay Brown’s poem of the grouse as a starting point for one of his works, he elected to draw the capercaillie – a large relative of the grouse.
Further reading:
Contemporary Art in Print, Scottish National Gallery of Modern and The Paragon Press, 1995, texts by Jeremy Lewison, Duncan Macmillan and Patrick Elliott
Glossary
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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.
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Imprint
In a bibliographic item, the name of the publisher, distributor, or manufacturer, and the place and date of publication.
