Etched in Memory: The Building and Survival of Artistic Reputation.

Abstract

Between 1880 and 1930, the art of painter-etching rose to a degree of popularity unmatched before or since. When the tide went out, most of the etchers once acclaimed were forgotten along with their prints - but some were more forgotten than others. in seeks to understand the process whereby some producers of culture but not others come to be considered worth remembering. Through a combination of masterful sleuthing and analytical rigor, Gladys Engel Lang and Kurt Lang bring to light the lives and artistic careers of 126 British and 160 American etchers, equally divided between men and women. They explore the links between popular taste and artistic choices and consider what artists did or could have done to increase their chances of being remembered - and why lady-etchers in particular were likely to disappear from the artistic register. Now available in paperback and enhanced with a new introduction by the authors, Etched in Memory offers a penetrating and provocative look at the dangers of letting one's art speak for itself.