An intaglio printmaking technique that creates a crisp, precise line that swells in the middle and tapers at the end. Lines are incised on a bare metal plate using a burin, a tool with a sharp, V-shaped blade. After inking, which fills only the incised lines, damp paper is placed on the plate and run through a press, forcing the paper into the incised lines to pick up the ink.
Engraving
6 examples
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Pablo Picasso Minotauromachy (La Minotauromachie) 1935
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Alberto Giacometti Hands Holding a Void 1934
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Stanley William Hayter Combat 1936, published 1941
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Jackson Pollock Untitled (4), state II of III 1944–1945
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Louise Bourgeois Plate 9 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 1) 1947
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James Siena Upside Down Devil Variation 2004