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THE CIDER BARREL

© Edward Blampied Copyright Holders

THE CIDER BARREL 1928

Edmund Blampied (1886 – 1966)

Details

Dimension
26.7 X 26.3 CM
Media
DRYPOINT
Accession number
P2480

Summary

Blampied was known as a painter, etcher, illustrator and cartoonist. Born in Jersey, he studied at Lambeth School of Art, describing his etching technique thus: “I do not trace on to the copper, but copy a few important lines on to the bare metal with litho-chalk. I then sketch over this with an ordinary sewing needle and rub in a little black oil-colour... From the first my efforts are to improve on the sketch until I consider the plate finished... In very few cases do I touch a plate after the first proof, so the majority have but one state. If I am dissatisfied with either the composition or details, I prefer to start afresh upon another plate rather than make radical alterations.” The enormous cider barrel, with a man crouched beneath its inclined head, was chosen by Rego for its suggestion of a quasi-comical relationship between man and inanimate object, the two of them nestling close together, so close that the man might almost be swallowed up by the barrel, like Jonah and the whale.

Thresholds, British Council 2010

Glossary

  • 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.

  • Metal

    Metal is a medium frequently used by artists to make art works - from sculpture to printmaking. Surfaces can display an array of colours and textures, and are capable of being polished to a high gloss; metal can be melted, cast, or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wire.