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

The picture, included in the exhibition “Aquatint: From Its Origins to Goya,” utilizes etching and aquatint techniques, but it owes its drama to the latter, which produces areas of tone rather than line.

From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 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 young artist is happy in the use of aquatint, and to judge from his colour combinations one might call him a rich colourist.

From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by Huneker, James