Arts
Intaglio uses metal plates into which lines have been incised; it includes engraving, drypoint, etching, mezzotint, and aquatint. The ink is pressed into the lines with a dabber and the remaining ink is removed. The paper is dampened, placed over the plate, and passed through a press, where it receives ink from the lines, printing the image in reverse. The pressure from the press must be strong enough to force the damp paper into the lines on the plate, lifting the ink onto the paper. Intaglio printmaking emerged as an art form in the fifteenth century in works by artists such as Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). While many artists continued to experiment with intaglio, in the twentieth century, publishers Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) and Gemini G.E.L. fostered new approaches to the medium, which contributed to a printmaking renaissance in the United States.