Scrawl

Scrawl, created in 1856 by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot French, 1796-1875, is a significant example of the artist’s commitment to experimental printmaking techniques. This piece utilizes the challenging and highly innovative process of cliché-verre, executed on ivory photographic paper. Corot, primarily celebrated as a painter of poetic landscapes, was an enthusiastic adopter of this hybrid technique, which bridges traditional draftsmanship with the burgeoning field of photography.

The cliché-verre process, invented in France in the 1850s, required the artist to scratch an image onto a light-sensitive glass plate coated in opaque varnish. This plate was then used as a photographic negative to create multiple unique prints, allowing the resulting image to retain the immediate, gestural quality of an original sketch or "scrawl." The resulting effect in this work emphasizes rapid, almost calligraphic white lines scratched through a dark background. Corot’s dedication to producing these graphic works positions him among the few French masters exploring the artistic potential of photography during the mid-19th century, cementing the print’s classification as an independent artistic statement rather than simply a reproductive medium.

This rare print is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, which recognizes the work’s importance in documenting the transitionary period of 19th-century French art. As the work is now in the public domain, scholars and enthusiasts studying Corot’s pioneering graphic techniques can access high-quality reference materials and prints globally.