Dovedale 1902

This is Dovedale, an etching made by David Young Cameron, likely in the early 20th century. This print was made by incising lines into a metal plate, likely copper, applying ink, and then pressing the plate onto paper. The etcher's craft is all about controlled accident. Cameron would have painstakingly drawn through a protective layer of wax on the plate, exposing the metal underneath. Then, he would have submerged the plate in acid, which bites away at the exposed lines. The longer the plate sits in the acid, the deeper and darker the lines will be. The expressive quality of the landscape comes down to the artist's mastery of this chemical process, and also his ability to wipe the ink in such a way as to create effects of shadow and light. Prints like this one were made in multiples, of course, but each impression is subtly different. We might think of Cameron's etching as a kind of industrial product, suited to a modern age, yet also deeply indebted to the traditions of landscape painting.