Sunflower
1926 to 1950
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
soft-ground etching in blue-black
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1980.45.282
Art Historical Context
Sunflower by Robert Allan Cale, dating from 1926 to 1950, is a striking print in the National Gallery of Art. This work uses soft-ground etching, an intaglio process in which a metal plate receives a waxy, pliable ground that the artist can incise or texture before acid biting creates the image. Printed in rich blue-black ink, it presents the sunflower’s form through this specialized method, highlighting the precision possible in graphic arts of the period. Soft-ground etching differs from hard-ground techniques by readily accepting impressions from fabrics or other materials pressed into the...