Mauricio Lasansky and Intaglio Printmaking

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Lasansky has become so enamored of the copper plate that he has limited himself almost exclusively to the intaglio process of printmaking. He has described his relation to the plate as he might speak of a lover: "The copper plate is not a passive medium for reproduction purposes, but rather as an active participant in determining the ultimate form of the work of art . . . the sensuous sculptural qualities of the plate must excite the touch as well as the eye. But mere excitement is not enough; complete union must take place between the artist and the plate. One must learn when to stop—just at the point of possession." This intense involvement with the copper plate was an attitude that many modern printmakers shared. They saw the plate not merely as a surface on which to draw an image, but instead as a material to be pierced, scraped, bitten, and cut. Artists became actively involved in trying new grounds, tools, acids, and combinations of techniques with which to manipulate the surface of the plate. Their plates often came to resemble low-relief sculptures that were in themselves as interesting as the prints pulled from them. Finished plates were frequently included in Atelier 17 exhibitions and later in exhibitions of Lasansky's "Iowa Print Group."

One consequence of this intense, personal involvement with the copper plate was the often unpredictable manner in which the image developed. Traditionally, an artist had a sketch or at least a good idea of how he wished his final print to appear. Methods were then chosen to realize this predetermined image. Even Rembrandt's extensive reworking and experimentation in the various states of his prints were directed primarily toward achieving a specific effect. However, Lasansky allows the actual process of working the plate to play a much more influential role in determining the final image. He has explained: "Drawing in our studio may serve as the first inspiration for a print, but once it is transcribed to the plate, it is forgotten and the plate begins to dictate the ultimate result." Hence, experiments with new techniques, accidental effects, and unforeseen alterations of the composition are as important in determining the final image as the artist's original conception. An early state of Profile with Red Band gives little indication of what the final state will be. The process of working on the plate often suggested lines of development that the artist may not have originally envisioned. In some of Lasansky's prints such as Boy, the artist has retained traces of lines from earlier states to indicate the complex process by which the image grew.

The variety of techniques that Lasansky uses to create a single print suggests how many stages the plate goes through before the work of art attains its final form. In Bodas de Sangre, for example, one master copper plate and eight zinc color plates were worked with engraving, etching, gouged-out white areas, aquatint, soft ground, lift ground, grease ground, an electric stippler, and extensive scraping and burnishing. To some, such a method might seem unnecessarily complex, but to Lasansky, this combination of techniques allowed him to achieve a richness of surface and eloquence of expression unattainable by any other means. Once the various techniques of printmaking have been learned well, they become internalized. What might seem indirect and complicated to an outsider, might be perfectly normal or even routine to a printmaker. It has been suggested that the discipline imposed by the metal plate has "at once a liberating and controlling effect on the artist." It is an indication of Lasansky's mastery of intaglio printmaking that the effects he creates enhance his imagery rather than overwhelm it.

Lasansky's dedication to experimentation and to the expansion of the boundaries of intaglio printmaking have challenged what were once thought to be the limitations of this medium. Of all the printmaking media, the intaglio processes seemed to be best suited for linear expression. Soft ground, lift ground, aquatint, open biting, and extensive scraping permitted an artist to introduce large areas of texture or tone to his composition, as Lasansky did in Quetzalcoatl. He was able to control and coordinate fifty-four separate plates to create an image as colorful as those in many paintings. Even more astonishing is his ability to produce a print of life-size dimensions. A veritable tour de force, this print shatters all previous conceptions of what an intaglio print might be.

Perhaps more than any other aspect of his art, experimentation has been the key to Lasansky's success both as an artist and as a teacher. His search for new means of expression has led him to explore a variety of solutions to recurring problems. The originality of each of his self-portraits, for example, is due less to actual changes in his physiognomy than to his ability to take a fresh approach to a familiar subject. As a teacher, Lasansky feels it is more important to imbue his students with an eagerness to experiment and an enthusiasm for the medium than to teach specific techniques or concepts: "Artists should have freedom to experiment in any way and to draw inspiration from any source whatsoever. There should especially be freedom to capitalize on mistakes. The student finds that even if three-quarters of his plate is unsatisfactory, he may still correct and improve his work by scraping down the metal; this will develop security and a fearless experimental attitude. The artist must be an inventor as well as a craftsman."

Lasansky's decision to accept a teaching position at the University of Iowa in 1945 had far-reaching consequences for the subsequent development of American printmaking. His previous experience as a director of the Free School of Fine Arts in Cordoba and as a member of Atelier 17 in New York enabled him to establish a vital printmaking workshop that has served as the model for many other university departments, often run by Lasansky's former students. Artists from the "Iowa Print Group" have taught in every state of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Germany, and Italy. Although Lasansky encourages his students to assert their individuality as artists, most of them share a love for working on the copper plate and a sincere respect for the process of experimentation, which they in turn pass on to their own students.

During the 1940s, when it was difficult for an artist to exhibit his prints, Lasansky organized exhibitions for the "Iowa Print Group" at such prestigious museums as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Walker Art Center. In 1959 the United States Information Agency sponsored an exhibition of seventy prints by thirty-eight members of the Iowa Print Group, which toured Latin America for several years as part of its overseas cultural program. The response to these exhibitions was enthusiastic, both from other artists and from the viewing public. Artists who have never made prints were prompted to explore this possibility for their own work. The graphic arts gained great acceptance as a legitimate means of creative expression once people began to realize how versatile and powerful intaglio printmaking could be. The increased stature of printmaking in art schools and universities, and the growing importance of prints in galleries, museums, and private collections, are due in no small part to Mauricio Lasansky and his students.

Reprinted from "Mauricio Lasansky: A Retrospective Exhibition of His Prints and Drawings," a catalog published on the occasion of an exhibition at the University of Iowa Museum of Art (September 24 - November 28, 1976).

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