aquatint

American  

[ak-wuh-tint, ah-kwuh-] / ˈæk wəˌtɪnt, ˈɑ kwə- /

noun

1. a process imitating the broad flat tints of ink or wash drawings by etching a microscopic crackle on the copperplate intended for printing.

2. an etching made by this process.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to etch in aquatint.

aquatint British  

/ ˈækwəˌtɪnt /

noun

1. a technique of etching copper with acid to produce an effect resembling the flat tones of wash or watercolour. The tone or tint is obtained by acid (aqua) biting through the pores of a ground that only partially protects the copper

2. an etching made in this way

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verb

1. (tr) to etch (a block, etc) in aquatint

Other Word Forms

• aquatinter noun
• aquatintist noun

Etymology

Origin of aquatint

1775–85; variant of aqua-tinta < Italian acqua tinta literally, tinted water. See aqua, tint

Example Sentences

The composition was inspired by Francisco de Goya’s renowned, politically trenchant aquatint, “The sleep of reason produces monsters.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2022

The first thing you see when the curtain goes up on “Plaza Suite” is an aquatint image of that grand hotel in its antique glory.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2022

Francisco Goya, the longtime painter for the Spanish court, surely could have adopted the aquatint process for the same reasons that some earlier artists did: as an expression of technical skill.

From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 2022

The time span of works in this donation covers centuries, from an Albrecht Dürer etching from 1501 to a 2014 Julie Mehretu aquatint.

From Washington Post • Feb. 2, 2017

These were for the most part executed in aquatint.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 "Dagupan" to "David" by Various