Painter's Garden

Lucian Freud was known to be an exacting artist with his prints, especially, once he began working with Studio Prints in London. He insisted to be present for biting and pulling of the first impressions of his etched plates. There were times when a print was rejected entirely, despite the hours spent building up an image on the plate. In most cases, however, after approval of the first pull (printed impression), the printer would spend several days printing a variety of proofs-lighter, darker, with more or less contrast, each testing the limits of the plate’s possibilities. This would involve varying the inks, the paper, the extent to which the surface tone was wiped from the plate, a myriad of subtle choices. At the end of this long process, The Painter’s Garden took over a month to proof, it was not unusual to be left with dozens of different impressions. Lucian would return and, with these proofs lined up next to one another in the drying room, begin by a process of elimination. Eventually, two or three proofs were left, all very similar, from which a final selection would be made. This proof would be signed and inscribed with the designation B.A.T (Bon à tirer, or a good print/pull). The printer would then begin the arduous task of carefully printing identical impressions for the editions. Finally, Feud would inspect each impression and initial only the proofs that matched his expectations.