Technique
Intaglio
A printmaking method in which ink held in recessed lines or areas of a plate is pressed onto paper. Etching and drypoint are intaglio techniques.
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Understanding the term
During printing, the plate surface is wiped clean while ink remains in the recessed marks. Damp paper and high pressure draw the ink out. The impression often carries a plate mark where the edge of the metal plate embossed the paper.
When Intaglio is given as a technique, it describes the process that created the work's impression, structure or surface. Technique and subject are distinct: very different images can be made using the same method.
The process can often be read in edges, lines, layers and surface. It can also explain natural variation between examples and offer useful evidence about workflow, edition and appropriate care.
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