Drypoint is an intaglio process in which an artist scratches a needle into a printing plate, usually made from copper, to create an image. The pressure from the needle on the plate creates burrs, or lines of raised metal displaced by the needle. Burrs are the defining characteristic of drypoint printing.
Prints with drypoint have a signature velvety look created by the burrs, which catch and distribute the ink. However, burrs are delicate and wear down easily. Although they can be reinforced, artists may encounter difficulties in attempting to produce several prints from one drypoint printing plate; consequently, drypoint appears less frequently than techniques such as etching and engraving.
Rembrandt van Rijn combined etching and drypoint in The Stoning of St. Stephen, which displays the fuzzy lines typical of drypoint in the foreground. In contrast, the lines in the background are clear and precise, indicating that they were made with the etching process. Despite Rembrandt’s success, drypoint virtually disappeared in the 19th century, and only recently re-emerged among modern printmakers. Paul Cesar Helleu used drypoint to create Untitled [artist’s wife], in which he layers lines to add shadow and depth, harnessing the full potential of the burrs’ blurring effect.
Written by Hannah Dorosin, edited by Simone Edgar Holmes
Bibliography
“Drypoint: MoMA.” The Museum of Modern Art. https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/34.
Becker, David P. “Drypoint.” Grove Art Online. 2003. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000023756.
Thompson, Wendy. “The Printed Image in the West: Drypoint.” Met Museum, October 2003. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/drpt/hd_drpt.htm.
