Hooks and Eyes
Artist
Fred Becker
(American, 1914–2004)
Date1947
Mediumsoft-ground etching; color proof in Talens Rose on heavy cream wove paper
Dimensions7.4 x 6.3 cm (plate), 13.5 x 13 cm (sheet)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineGift of Fred Becker
Object number1989.154.2
DescriptionOne of Four progressive color proofs, soft-ground etching, and drypointLabel TextIn 1940, Fred Becker (1913-2004) entered the inaugural class of New York’s Atelier 17, the workshop of master engraver Stanley William Hayter (1901-1988). It was here Becker first engaged with abstraction alongside Andre Masson, Matta, and Yves Tanguy. Hooks and Eyes was a 1947 commission from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The curator requested a small finished work so he could display all the color proofs and the black key print together as seen here. The key plate, inked in black, was engraved with a burin directly cutting into a copper plate. However, the color plates were created using softground etching. A basic etching, explained further in the exhibition alongside John Taylor Arms, involves drawing an image onto a metal plate though a protective varnish. The plate is dipped into a bath of acid and the drawn areas are “etched into” by the acid. In softground, typically a piece of paper or fabric is placed over the varnished plate before drawing the image. The introduction of the paper gives the lines a softer quality, best seen in the Hansa yellow proof. Notably, in Hooks and Eyes Becker did not use paper or fabric over the varnish. Instead, he engraved an image into plastic scratchboard then pressed the scratchboard directly into the soft varnish for each hue. ProvenanceFred Becker, Amherst, Massachusetts
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