E.015 The sea 1989–90; reworked and retitled 1995

• I. 1st state of 13, 1989

  

  Etching. A view of a shore and the sea during a fierce storm, with large, jagged rocks at right. At the lower left, in front of the huge waves, a man appears to be walking into the water. On the horizon at the centre left, the tentacles of a giant squid emerge from the sea. The subject is etched in a sketchy manner, but one that immediately conveys a turbulent atmosphere.

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

• II. 2nd state of 13, 1989

  More etched lines have been added throughout, including on the figure of the man, whose contours are now clearer, so that the figure looks more substantial.

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

• III. 3rd state of 13, 1989

  The shadows on the rocks and in the stormy clouds have been darkened with additional etching.

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

• IV. 4th state of 13, 1989

  Oblique hatching has been added to the sky at the horizon at left, indicating sheeting rain. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘4 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 89’.
  2. Dark, selectively wiped impression with much plate tone, on wove Somerset paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘5 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 89’. Although inscribed ‘5’, this is an impression of the fourth state.

• IV.a. 4th state of 13, 1989

  

  Oblique hatching has been added to the sky at the horizon at left, indicating sheeting rain. There are two variant impressions of this state.

• V. 5th state of 13, 1990

  Further oblique lines have been added to the sky at the horizon, with these now extending along behind the jutting rock at the centre of the image. There is additional etched hatching in many areas of the plate, including the light surfaces of the rocks; this serves to emphasize volumes and spatial relationships, and to intensify the sense of dark threat.                 

  Selectively wiped impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘6 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 90’. Although inscribed ‘6’, this is the fifth state.

• VI. 6th state of 13, 1990

  

  Oblique lines of etching have been added to the spherical rock, the rock above, and the area below the rock formation.

  Selectively wiped impression with plate tone, on wove Arches paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘7 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 90’. Although inscribed ‘7’, this is the sixth state.

• VII. 7th state of 13, 1990

  A shooting star has been burnished into the plate, appearing at the upper right of the image as the artist exploits a light area that had already existed at that location.

  Cleanly wiped impression on wove BFK Rives paper with watermark, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘8 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’90’. Although inscribed ‘8’, this is the seventh state.

• VIII. 8th state of 13, 1990

  Parallel lines of hatching have been added to the light areas of the rocks, including the spherical rock and those on either side of it. There are four variant impressions of this state.

  1. Cleanly wiped impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘9 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’90’. Although inscribed ‘9’, this is an impression of the eighth state. 
  2. Dark, selectively wiped impression with much plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘10 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’90’. Although inscribed ‘10’, this is an impression of the eighth state. 
  3. Impression with some plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘11 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 90’. Although inscribed ‘11’, this is an impression of the eighth state. 
  4. Impression on buff wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 90’.

• IX. 9th state of 13, 1990

  Aquatint has been added to many of the dark areas, in order to intensify the black tones. There are three variant impressions of this state. Amor’s intaglio record book notes that he also printed one proof, described as ‘burnished’; this has not been identified.

  1. Cleanly wiped impression on buff wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘12 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 90’. Although inscribed ‘12’, this is an impression of the ninth state. (Featured Image)
  2. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, lower left: ‘A/P’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 90’.
  3. Impression on buff wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘A/P’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 90’.

• IX.a. 9th state of 13, 1990, on buff paper (Featured Image)

  

  Aquatint has been added to many of the dark areas, in order to intensify the black tones. There are three variant impressions of this state. Amor’s intaglio record book notes that he also printed one proof, described as ‘burnished’; this has not been identified.

• First edition, 1990

  Nominal edition of ten, but only five impressions were printed and numbered. These are on wove paper and were printed by Rick Amor in his Dunmoochin studio. Each impression is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[1 through 5]/10’; lower centre: ‘The Sea’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’90’.

  Edition sheet size: 280 x 380 mm

• X. 10th state of 13, 1995, as The sea II

  

  The work has been retitled The sea II. The squid at centre left and the man at the lower left have been obliterated with strong lines of drypoint. The areas of aquatint in the central foreground have been burnished and drypoint has been added to the shadows on the rocks.

  Impression with some plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea II’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 95’.

• XI. 11th state of 13, 1995, as The sea II

  The sky has been lightened through burnishing.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea II’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• XII. 12th state of 13, 1995, as The sea II

  Drypoint accents have been added to the sky at left, while some burr has been removed, with the result that the figure of the man at the lower left has now partially re-emerged.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘3 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘The Sea II’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• XIII. 13th and final state, 1995, as The sea II

  

  The figure of the man in the lower left corner has been reinstated with drypoint, and the tonality of the whole plate has been calibrated to a lighter tone through a combination of burnishing and accents of drypoint.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP II’; lower centre: ‘The Sea II’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• Second edition, 1995, as The sea II

  Nominal edition of ten, but only two impressions were printed and numbered. These are on wove paper and were printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Both impressions are inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[1 or 2]/10’; lower centre: ‘The Sea II’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

  Edition sheet size: 280 x 380 mm

• Comment

  This etching, begun in 1989, takes its cue from a print made earlier in the same year, The sea (with giant squid) (cat. no. E.012). E.015 is one of a number of works that Amor made in the late 1980s and 1990s in which the sea became the setting of nightmarish experience. Here, rocks, sky and sea all appear to seethe, as though in an apocalyptic dream – wherein the whole of nature rises up and threatens obliteration.

  The first version of the etching was taken through nine states and completed in 1990. It showed a giant squid on the distant horizon at left, and a lone male figure in the lower left corner, seemingly about to plunge into the sea. Aquatint was added in the ninth state so as to intensify the darkening mood of the image.

  Amor returned to the etching in 1995, changing its title and reworking the plate, using both etching and drypoint. First he removed the squid, by scoring over it in drypoint, and then he burnished it out altogether; he also caused the man to disappear completely, by casting him in dark drypoint shadow. The figure began to reappear in the penultimate state and was again a clear presence in the thirteenth and final state. In making this final version of the image, Amor lightly burnished much of the plate, creating an eerie atmosphere by having an unearthly light now stream from the sky at the upper centre, illuminating the entire scene.