Of 17th-century printmaking and the digital age: Razwanur Rahman's battle to keep Mezzotint alive

The fastest cameras can now shoot at a rate of millions of frames a second – a modern-day milestone. Beginning with Hasan Ibn al-Haytham, the pioneer of modern optics in the 10th century to the Phantom High-Speed cameras, photography has come a very long way. 

Dissimilar to photography, another artistic process called printmaking did not make such advancements in terms of speed. Photography and printmaking are similar, at least in part, that both produce prints. 

The technique predates photography by a long mile making its first mark in China's Han Dynasty (206 BC to 3rd century AD) through woodblock print on silk. The earliest European prints date back to the beginning of the 15th century with woodcut prints on cards. 

A couple or so centuries later, the much-heard-about printmaking techniques – such as lithography and woodcut, etching and engraving which are still practised – saw their start then. But there exists another niche of printmaking, the 'Mezzotint,' first invented in the 17th century when printmakers needed a way to reproduce famous paintings. It is a painstakingly slow process.

Unlike the aforementioned high-speed cameras, Mezzotint takes days to reproduce a single piece of art. In this day and age, this printmaking technique is rarely seen. 

In Bangladesh, Mohammad Razwanur Rahman is one of the very few people who still practises the dying art form. He currently works as an educator at Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology. 

"Mezzotint comes from the intaglio family of printmaking, which achieves tonality by roughening a metal plate with thousands of little dots on zinc, copper or steel plates made by a metal tool with small teeth called a rocker. German soldier and amateur artist Ludwig von Siegen invented Mezzotint in 1642," Razwan began.

The daunting procedure is what keeps a lot of people from practising Mezzotint but Razwan remains undeterred. "The plates are first dotted all over with the rocker and paint is then added. Once the plate absorbs all of the pigment and is fully dark, the desired painting is then etched on it," Razwan explained. 

"After making countless passes on the plate, shades of black and white gradually take form," he added.

Razwan – whose Mezzotint journey began some decades ago – held his first four-day Mezzotint workshop at Flame Arts Open Studio at Rampura between 21 and 24 December. It was followed by a three-day exhibition beginning on Christmas Day and ending on 27 December at the same venue. 

Along with Razwan, the exhibition also showcased the artworks of Rania Alam, Sadia Bony, Ether, Prodip, Arif and Upoma Shirin.

The first instance of a Bangladeshi artist practising Mezzotint was through the hands of artist  Monirul Islam, whose Mezzotint inspired Razwan to brave this demanding medium. But it was professor Mahmudul Haque, the then director of Charukala when it was still an institute, who showed Razwan the ropes of Mezzotint. 

In the 1980s, the professor went to Japan and learned the technique from the famous Japanese artist Toshiyuki Shiroki. "It's not just about removing paint from the plate surface. Sometimes to create lighter shades, some of the darker shades lose volume as well. 

I've to be extremely mindful of highlights and shadows. Monirul Islam sir showed me via video calls from distant Spain how to perfect the shades," Razwan recounted.

Mezzotint practitioners are almost non-existent in Bangladesh. The first-ever workshop on the technique was held in 1993 at Charukala. Organised by Mahmudul Haque, it was conducted by Toshiyuki Shiroki himself. 30 years on, Razwan's workshop on Mezzotint is the second one in its history in Bangladesh.

Among the respected guests who visited Razwan's exhibition were famous art collector and banker Anis A Khan, Desh Garments chairman Rokeya Quader, famous Bangladeshi artist Abul Barq Alvi, DU professor Rokeya Sultana and many others. 

"But the decision to keep the number of artists limited in the exhibition was intentional. This technique is very laborious and time-consuming. We couldn't bring onboard as many artists as we wanted to," Razwan explained.

Printmaking is a social media, Razwan opined. But not the kind of social media we understand these days. "A lot of people are involved in the art of printmaking. They come together and as a result, this media becomes a social act. Through the practice of art, we form close ties. This was my message through this workshop and exhibition" he said.

Razwan plans to conduct another workshop in December of 2024. "You don't have to understand art. You just have to love it. Art is about feeling an emotional tie," Razwan concluded.