Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara
First-Level Academic Diploma
School of “Art Graphics”
Prof. Silvia Papucci

Il Lavis
Thesis by Gianna Lupone
Student ID: G369

Written thesis supervisor: Prof. Veronica Longo
Practical supervisor: Prof. Silvia Papucci

Academic Year 2022/2023
1st Session: February 23

IL LAVIS

"Lavis" is a French term meaning "watercolor." This technique, therefore, refers to the method that produces effects in print similar to watercolor drawings. It arose from the need to achieve tonal fields rendered through continuous tones, rather than through more or less tightly packed linear patterns or differently incised by the acid. The process is quite simple to execute and often accompanies a more or less complex figuration already engraved on the plate. It is, in fact, sufficient to spread the acid directly onto the plate or distribute the varnish over the areas of the plate that need to be protected from the action of the mordant (be they entire areas or short hatches), then distribute it over the surface using a brush, in order to achieve more painterly effects and variations in tone. This operation erodes the mirror-like smoothness of the plate (necessary to obtain pure whites), thus making the metal porous and therefore suitable for retaining the ink during printing.

This method is also called "spit bite," because saliva was added to the acid by spitting into it, breaking the surface tension. This allows the mordant to move freely and remain in the areas where it is applied. Alternatively, dish soap or honey can now be used.

The effects produced by this technique are comparable to a watercolor painted with very diluted ink and serve admirably as a link between different areas of the engraving, or to create certain atmospheric effects.

In any case, the wash technique was not widely successful due to its limitations in printmaking. Indeed, the slight porosity of the metal disappears after a few prints due to the abrasive action of the inking, cleaning of the matrix, and the pressure of the press.

Today, several contemporary engravers use this method in conjunction with others to enrich their works with the delicate tones that only wash technique can achieve. Therefore, at the end of this thesis, a personal research on this technique will be analyzed.

4.5 Giuseppina Lesa

Giuseppina Lesa  expresses herself through an immediately evocative, symbolic, informal expressionism, addressing social and intimate themes. The artist used the Lavis technique most during a period of experimentation at the International School of Graphics in Venice, together with maestro Licata, and then continued in her workshop "La Punta" in Pasian di Prato (UDINE). For her, experimentation is the most beautiful part of her work: school cannot teach everything and the artist must try on his own. It's no coincidence that she says: experience is the most beautiful thing in life. She used this methodology in the late 1990s and 2000s, not as the sole technique, but always as a complement, because it gives her work a very ethereal, uncontrolled, velvety quality. Typically, she uses it with drypoint or in conjunction with pictorial methods, therefore, with techniques that are delicate in themselves. Before approaching the matrix, the artist already knows what he wants to achieve during the design phase, so he decides which techniques to use alongside the Lavis, which must complement the work or accompany it in a specific way. She maintains: "Once you have all the techniques in hand, you can mix and match them. Lavis has revealed other possibilities for effect to me; as for my work, it was an experiment in itself, discovered through Renato Bruscaglia's book "Incisione chalcografica e stampa originale d'arte" and the constant work in the laboratory."



Fig.23 Giuseppina Lesa, Accoppiamento, 1995, acquaforte, puntasecca e lavis, 245 x 345 mm