E.010 Structure 1989; reworked 1991

• I. 1st state of 6, 1989

  

  Etching. A depiction of a segment of the underside of a curving bridge, which runs from upper left to centre right and spans a narrow stretch of water. At the left are the remains of a derelict pier, and in the foreground are twisted cables. The plate is pitted with spots of foul biting.

  Impression with light plate tone, on wove Fabriano paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Structure’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 89’.

   

• II. 2nd state of 6, 1989

  Curved etched strokes have been added to the foreground, while cross-hatching has been applied to many parts of the bridge, in order to better suggest its volumetric quality. Vertical lines of reflection have been added to the water at right.

  Impression with light plate tone, on wove Fabriano paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Structure’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 89’.

• III. 3rd state of 6, 1989

  The foreground has been darkened with oblique etching, and the far side of the foreground bank, beneath the span, has been darkened with irregular scribbling. Cross-hatching has been added to the concrete structure on the far side.

  Impression on wove Fabriano Tiepolo paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘3 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Structure’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 89’.

• IV. 4th state of 6, 1989

  

  The foreground has been further darkened with oblique etching, and the far side of the foreground bank, beneath the span, has been further darkened with irregular scribbling. There is additional cross-hatching on the concrete structure on the far side of the water, and additional etching in the sky in the upper right corner.

  Impression on wove Fabriano Tiepolo paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘4 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Structure’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’89’.

• V. 5th state of 6, 1991

  The distant sea has been darkened with short etched strokes, and light linear shading has been added to the water at the lower right and to the surfaces of the two half-submerged concrete blocks. Drypoint accents have been added throughout the plate to increase the depth of darkness in shadows, and at the upper right have been used to indicate a stormy sky from which rain sheets down. The sky seen through the columns has been shaded with loosely etched zigzag strokes.

  Impression with burr, on wove Fabriano paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘5 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Structure’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’91’.

• VI. 6th and final state, 1991 (Featured Image)

  

  More drypoint has been added throughout the plate, creating a very dark image. The sky in the upper right corner now has patches of deep black. Drypoint shading has been added to the vertical face of the upper curve of the bridge and has been employed to articulate the edges of the structure on the far bank.

  Impression with rich burr, on wove Fabriano Tiepolo paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘A/P’; lower centre: ‘Structure’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’91’.

• Edition, 1991

  Nominal edition of ten, but only two impressions were printed and numbered. These are on wove BFK Rives paper and were printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Both impressions are inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[1 or 2]/10’; lower centre: ‘Structure’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’91’.

  Edition sheet size: 383 x 289 mm

• Comment

  This etching was inspired loosely by one of Amor’s paintings of the West Gate Bridge disaster, Broken pier, Westgate, 1986 (Short 2008). On 15 October 1970, two years into the construction of Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge, one of its spans collapsed, killing thirty-five workers.

  The tangle of cables in the foreground of the etching is close to what is depicted in the oil painting; however, the bleakness of the painting has given way here to a largely imagined composition that is dense and filled with dark, coiled emotion. The condensed view of the subject, with its snaking curve, makes it ambiguous and difficult to read. Presenting the scene in this way was a deliberate strategy on the artist’s part and one that contributes to the sense of turmoil in the etching, despite its small scale. The six states of E.010 proceed incrementally from light to dark, with an ever-increasing sense of physical presence and threat.