Quarries Near Montmartre

Chifflart drew directly onto the copper plate with a free, gestural hand, mimicking the immediacy of a sketchbook. The lines are uneven and expressive, resembling pencil marks rather than the refined, controlled strokes typical of academic prints. This approach emphasized process over polish, treating etching as a personal, experimental act.

Created as part of Chifflart’s 1865 series Improvisations on Copper, these prints were produced during a period of renewed interest in etching among French artists. They circulated among collectors and fellow printmakers who valued their informal quality. Few original impressions survive, and most are held in institutional collections today.

In mid-19th-century France, traditional printmaking was dominated by highly finished, reproductive techniques. Chifflart’s work aligned with broader artistic shifts toward directness and individual expression, paralleling developments in painting by the Barbizon school and early Impressionists who also sought to capture transient, unidealized scenes.

Chifflart’s direct drawing method influenced later printmakers seeking authenticity in the medium. His emphasis on spontaneity and personal mark-making helped redefine etching as a vehicle for artistic introspection rather than mere reproduction. Though not widely known today, his work remains a quiet touchstone in the history of modern printmaking.