The Bates College Musuem of Art presents

Revising and State Proofs

A very important part of the creative process is to be self-critical. When artists do this, they are trying to improve their work so that it most successfully communicates their idea. Take a look at this portrait by Sigmund Abeles.

The woman shown in the etching is his mother. Since the artist was using a printing medium, he could strike what is called a state proof. Artists make these to view and evaluate the progress of their work. The nice thing about printmaking is that even though the artist might go on to change the picture, a record will exist of this particular stage—or state--of development. Now compare the state proof with the final image.

What change or changes were made? Write them down. Include your observations about how these changes affected the picture.

In this example, Abeles made two important changes: he darkened the negative space, and he added green to the black ink, to create a more interesting colour. But sometimes, artists go through a much more drastic process of revision. Here is a drypoint print by Charles Hewitt. The real picture is quite large, measuring over 4 feet in width. Hewitt printed the proof to determine the success of his efforts. Quickly, make a list of objective observations about the print. Next, make a list of subjective observations.

Judging from the next image, also a state proof, how successful do you think he thought it was? As you did with the first state proof, make a list of objective and subjective observations about this revised image. Be sure to record the changes Hewitt made to his picture.

Now, look at this third state proof. Can you see what number it is? Once again, make a list of observations, both objective and subjective. How have the alterations he made changed the image objectively? Have they also changed your subjective reactions? How so?

As writers, what can you take from learning about this artistic process of self-critical revision? How do writers go about revising their work? Do artists only add information when making changes, or do they also delete information or move it to a different place? How can writers do this?

Taking the sketch that you made in the Sketches and Studies exercise, take it through at least one process of revision. Should any paragraphs be moved to make your ideas about the picture clearer? Do any paragraphs need more sentences to make them stronger? Are there any sentences that could be changed or even deleted because they do not help communicate your ideas?