Meaning & use
mezzotint
A printmaking technique that produces rich tonal images by roughening a metal plate and then smoothing selected areas.
See it in a sentence
The museum displayed an eighteenth-century mezzotint of a stormy sea beside its original painting.
Mezzotint allows artists to create deep shadows and soft gradations of light unlike other engraving methods.
A note on using this word
Mezzotint is prized for its smooth gradations of tone rather than the sharp lines typical of etching or engraving.
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