Sue Fuller, softground etching at Atelier 17

Ann Shafer

A spirit of collaboration and experimentation was at the heart of Atelier 17. Prints by Hayter and his associates are conceptually and passionately full of ideas about the human condition, dreams, mythology, war, and natural phenomena. The exceptional rigor of subject matter in these images was achieved by means of three technical innovations, which changed the course of twentieth century printmaking. First, Hayter revived the art of engraving, which he believed was uniquely suited to address issues of modern art. (Historically engraving had been used to reproduce more famous works for a large market.) Second, members of the studio pioneered the use of textiles, paper, string, wood, and other materials pressed into a softground-coated plate to gain an amazing variety of textures. Third, Hayter and his colleagues (credit to Krishna Reddy and Kaiko Moti) developed several inventive methods of printing in colors from a single plate, eliminating the need to print separate plates for each color. All of these are counterintuitive to admirers of traditions intaglio prints. While looking at the works from this studio, know that often when you think you are seeing etching, it is actually engraving. When you think you are seeing aquatint, it is really softground etching. When you see a color print, it is not the result of each color being printed from separate plates, but of being applied to a single plate.
 
Today’s post zooms in on the second element, softground etching. Not a new technique by any means, the possibilities were greatly expanded by one of the women artists working at Atelier 17, Sue Fuller, who used bits of fabric that went beyond a simple pattern like pantyhose used to create tonal passages mimicking aquatint. Rather, she utilized lace and pieces of string to create the subject of the image itself. Fuller’s print Hen, 1945, is the clearest example of this in its use of a lace collar to form the hen.
 
Fuller’s Cacophony, 1944, features several standing female figures, which are delineated by string. Fortunately for us, Fuller also created collages of some of her compositions, including the one for Cacophony, which is currently “on view” in an online exhibition from Susan Teller Gallery. Seeing the collage of string in the same composition really brings it together and enables viewers to imagine what is meant by softground etching. Teller also is showing the first state and the final, all of which makes clear the composition’s creation.
 
Susan Teller is the go-to person for works by Fuller. Her breadth of knowledge and depth of stock by Fuller and others who worked at the Atelier during its New York years is legendary. The online exhibition is here.
 
For a superb read on Sue Fuller and the many female artists working at Atelier 17, look no further than the recently published book by Christina Weyl, The Women of Atelier 17: Modernist Printmaking in Midcentury New York (Yale University Press, 2019). Christina’s accomplishment with her book is tremendous and it is required reading for students of this era. Yesterday, Joanne B Mulcahy published a review of Christina’s book for Hyperallergic, beautifully summing up its contents. I suspect there may be a run on the book from online sources; I suggest if you are thinking a procuring a copy, act fast.
 
Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006)
Hen, 1945
Engraving and softground etching
Sheet: 458 x 364 mm. (18 1/16 x 14 5/16 in.)
Plate: 378 x 299 mm. (14 7/8 x 11 3/4 in.)
Baltimore Museum of Art: Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin, BMA 1948.52
 
Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006)
Cacophony, 1944
Collage
11 x 8 inches
Susan Teller Gallery, New York (courtesy the Estate of Sue Fuller and the Susan Teller Gallery, New York)
 
Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006)
Cacophony (first state), 1944
Softground etching,
11 x 8 inches
Susan Teller Gallery, New York (courtesy the Estate of Sue Fuller and the Susan Teller Gallery, New York)
 
Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006)
Cacophony (final state), 1944
Etching, softground etching, and aquatint
11 x 8 inches
Susan Teller Gallery, New York (courtesy the Estate of Sue Fuller and the Susan Teller Gallery, New York)

Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006), Hen, 1945, engraving and softground etching, sheet: 458 x 364 mm. (18 1/16 x 14 5/16 in.), plate: 378 x 299 mm. (14 7/8 x 11 3/4 in.), Baltimore Museum of Art: Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin, BMA 1948.52

Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006), Cacophony, 1944, collage, 11 x 8 inches, Susan Teller Gallery, New York (courtesy the Estate of Sue Fuller and the Susan Teller Gallery, New York)

Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006), Cacophony (first state), 1944, softground etching, 11 x 8 inches, Susan Teller Gallery, New York (courtesy the Estate of Sue Fuller and the Susan Teller Gallery, New York)

Sue Fuller (American, 1914–2006), Cacophony (final state), 1944, etching, softground etching, and aquatint, 11 x 8 inches, Susan Teller Gallery, New York (courtesy the Estate of Sue Fuller and the Susan Teller Gallery, New York)