Zincography in Brittany
The medium of zincography was favoured by Paul Gauguin, Emile Bernard, and others working near the rural village of Pont-Aven in the late 1880s and early 1890s.
Because of the lack of professional printmaking facilities in Brittany, zincography provided a convenient and affordable alternative to traditional lithography.
Additionally, the unique graininess of the zincographic print suited the rough, primitive aesthetic extolled by the School of Pont-Aven.
Paul Gauguin, The Grasshoppers and the Ants (Souvenir of Martinique) (Les cigales et les fourmis (Souvenir de la Martinique)) from the series Volpini, 1889
Emile Bernard, Going For a Walk (La promenade), 1888
Experimental techniques
The artist Emile Bernard experimented intensely with printmaking, combining a variety of complicated techniques.
It is believed that for his religious imagery, he first carved his designs into a woodblock and then transferred the image to a zinc plate prior to printing.
This combination allowed Bernard the flexibility to make changes on the zincographic plate while still retaining the medieval aesthetic of the woodcut.
Emile Bernard, The Way of the Cross (Le chemin de la Croix), 1895
Further reading
- Caroline Boyle-Turner, The Prints of the Pont-Aven School: Gauguin and his Circle in Brittany, Lausanne 1986
- Agnieszka Juszczak et al., Paul Gauguin: The Breakthrough into Modernity, Amsterdam 2009
- Dennis Delouche, Les Peintres de la Bretagne, Quimper 2012