Evaluation of Etching

1. What techniques I have learnt?

- The materials needed to produce an etching:

- Pre-soaked printing paper

- A plastic plate

- A dry point needle

- An ink dabber

- An oil-based printing ink

- An etching press

- Newspaper

- Blotting paper

- Soft cloth

- Various ‘rules’ regarding appropriate conducts whilst etching:

- Copying a drawing onto the plastic plate, before scratching.

- Avoiding scratching mistakes, as the ink penetrates all scratches and lines

- Dipping the printing paper in water very quickly, and then gently blotting it to eliminate any excess moisture.

- Turning the wheel of the etching press only once.

- Types of etching lines:

- Fine, delicate lines

- Dots

- Thick, broad lines

- Shallow lines
 

2. Why are my choices reflective of contemporary influences?

- The title of my work is produced from the direct translation of Alighieri ‘Purgatory’, in which its meaning provide further evidence of the harsh being of those guilty of both sins and goodness, yet, biblically, do not have a place to go.

- The salient image of the skull is a direct adaption of Otto Dix’s ‘Der Krieg’.

- The rose represents the goodness in individuals, (e.g., the element of people that is appropriate for heaven)

- The weeds and worms represent the sinfulness of individuals, (e.g., the element of people that is appropriate for hell)

- The decaying teeth that is representative of the harsh verbal abuses that people commit against each other.

- The destruction and overgrowth of the upper part of the skull, symbolising the sinful taint to one’s thoughts and actions.

- The decay to one eye, exhibiting a view of the world through ‘rose tinted glasses’. The other eye displays a normal appearance, thus contrasting perception’s have the world that contain both good and sinful elements.

3. What worked well?

- The Rose

- My personal design of the rose is a very salient image of the goodness in people.

- The large size and intricate detailing of the rose allow for a contrast between both good and sinful views, yet it is attached to the skull to therefore prove a point against the ‘sin consuming the goodness’.

- The Decayed Teeth

- I have made several adaption’s and inclusions to the image of the decayed teeth. I have increased the number of the teeth and designed its appearance to be more gruesome and mutilated.

- In turn, the mouth itself proves an absence of space within the image, to allow the audience to focus on each individual tooth and fully grasp its symbolism of the type of abuse (verbal) that can lead to the production of sin.
 

4. What could I have done differently?

- The Skull

- The design of the skull is both technical and elaborate, which suit the concept of my work quite nicely.

- Unfortunately, I believe that I have made too close of an adaption to Dix’s original work, and therefore I cannot claim the work as my own. I take pride in this image, although I would prefer a more independent creation of this piece, as it would bring more a satisfying sense of accomplishment after its completion.

- To design the skull differently, I would;

- Diminish any presence of the worms and rotting weeds, and use different elements to present decay, such as bone degradation of the skull.

- Change the angle of the skull from a portfolio view to a straight view or even an upward view.  A change in angle would produce different perspectives of the image, which should be embraced in order to exemplify the meaning of this work.

- Make the skull smaller and add other elements into the image background. For example, I could include three gateways extending from each corner of the page, representing a path to heaven, purgatory and hell.