“Etching is almost a little secret. An inner activity. You etch a copper plate with a steel tip. It’s a solitary means of expression, as peaceful as chamber music.”
Folon created hundreds of etchings, transposing his world into the technique of aquatint, an etching process which enables artists to produce almost painterly colour gradations and wash effects. It took him around a month to produce a finished etching, following a painstaking, empirical and iterative process, which can be clearly seen in the many part-finished pieces held by the Fondation.
For the rest of his career after 1970, Folon spend certain periods of time etching, on each occasion enlisting a professional engraver to provide guidance on the technical aspects and the creation of colours. He worked with four engravers: Claude Manesse, in 1970-1971, Roger Guérin from 1973, then Philippe Lejeune from 1976 to 1984, and finally Stéphane Lalou.
