The Masters’ Thread: How the Engraver’s Mark Inspires Colleen Barry

The Masters’ Thread: How the Engraver’s Mark Inspires Colleen Barry
“Portrait of a Man with a Cast in his Eye,” (Detail) 1521, by Lucas van Leiden (circa 1494–1533, The Netherlands). Charcoal and black chalk, with traces of white chalk, Nationalmuseum, Sweden. Milene Fernandez/Epoch Times
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In this column, “The Masters’ Thread” (ept.ms/mastersthread), artists share their thoughts about how masterpieces inspire their current work.

I am trying to understand how to express the engraver’s mark in my drawings. The engraver’s mark is indelible. It’s a permanent statement of intent. The artist has one shot at getting each mark right—it cannot be retracted or erased. This type of mark-making, found in engravings and etchings, can also be applied to any other drawing medium. I think of the engraver’s mark as being more connected to a certain state of mind than to a specific medium. These are marks that indicate bold and instinctive statements.

The Albrecht Dürer drawing “Portrait of a Young Woman with Braided Hair” and the Lucas van Leyden drawing “Portrait of a Man with a Cast in His Eyes” at a Morgan Library & Museum exhibit ("Treasures from the Nationalmuseum of Sweden: The Collections of Count Tessin,” on view until May 14) resonate with me as I have been looking to German and Dutch draftsmen for inspiration lately.

In my recent work, a self-portrait, I attempt to mimic the engraver’s mark by using direct, fluid lines applied with gouache, ink, graphite, and charcoal. The lines of white gouache follow the topography of the illuminated side of my face, giving it a graphic, linear quality. I applied an ink wash with charcoal behind my head to give contrast and tenebrism [a style of painting initiated by Caravaggio]. I expressed the form by using open hatch marks, leaving the exposed paper underneath as halftones. Because this is a multimedia drawing, it has a textural quality, which I intended. This drawing was heavily influenced by Käthe Kollwitz, my favorite German female artist. I made it three months after giving birth to my daughter.

My ink drawing “Eve Sleeping” was created around the same time as my self-portrait. It was made with walnut ink, a nib, and a small brush. I use ink as a medium for drawing, as it challenges me to make bold statements and to live in the moment with each mark. Ink can be hard to control at times, so it has an element of surprise. This makes the process very intriguing to me because of its potential for happy accidents. Yet it leads to many failed attempts.

"Portrait of a Young Woman with Braided Hair," 1515, by Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). Black chalk and charcoal, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. (Cecilia Heisser / Nationalmuseum)
"Portrait of a Young Woman with Braided Hair," 1515, by Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). Black chalk and charcoal, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Cecilia Heisser / Nationalmuseum
Colleen Barry
Colleen Barry
Author
Colleen Barry was raised in New York City. She began her pursuit to master figure drawing and painting as a teenager at the Arts Students League and the National Academy of Design. Later she studied under New York based artists such as Sam Adoquei, Andrea Smith, and Jacob Collins. Colleen has been the recipient of the Newington Cropsy Grant, which sent her to study in Italy is 2004. She returned to Italy once more in 2011 to reside as an affiliated fellow at the American Academy in Rome with her husband Will St. John. Colleen lives and works in New York City. She sells her work privately out of her studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and teaches drawing at the Grand Central Atelier in Long Island City, New York. Visit: colleenbarryart.com