Cavendish Church, Suffolk, April 12, 1936
Artist
John Taylor Arms
(American, 1887–1953)
Date1936
Mediumgraphite on cream ragboard
Dimensionsimage: 24.2 × 14 cm (9 1/2 × 5 1/2 in.)
sheet: 45.7 × 31 cm (18 × 12 3/16 in.)
sheet: 45.7 × 31 cm (18 × 12 3/16 in.)
ClassificationsDrawings
Credit LineGift of Mr. Edward A. Bigelow
Object number1949.4
DescriptionAM/1/A-D Titled in graphite l.l., inscribed "John Taylor Arms" l.r. Preparatory drawing for the 1944 etching, see WAM 1949.5. Etched copper printing plate, WAM 1949.6.Label TextJohn Taylor Arms (1887-1953) There are several types of etching but in all cases a mordant, or corrosive chemical bath, is used to incise a metal plate’s surface. The inked areas of the print reveal where the acidic material bit away at the plate with darker areas indicating lengthier exposure to mordant. However in areas where an artist does not want the plate to corrode, an acid-proof material called a resist is applied for protection. Often the resist is a warmed varnish which is evenly applied to the plate at the beginning of the etching process. The varnish hardens so the artist can use various tools like needles to draw through the resist, making these newly exposed areas vulnerable to the mordant. After the etching has been drawn and placed in the acidic bath, it is immersed in a second neutralizing bath. Finally, the remaining resist is removed with a solvent so the plate can be inked and printed. Initially trained as an architect before devoting himself to the craft of printmaking, John Taylor Arms was unapologetically conservative in his subject matter, aligning himself with the Gothic Revival. He meticulously represented architecture throughout the United States and Europe with an uncompromising attention to detail. To achieve this level of specificity, Arms used the thinnest of etching needles to achieve almost fetishistic precision.
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