The Bridges of Paris

Frank Joseph Van Sloun

The Pont Notre Dame as it's known today was completed in 1914, and is referred to as the "most ancient" in Paris as there has been a bridge on this very site since antiquity. Charles VI ordered the construction of a new wooden bridge in 1412 after a bridge built in 1406 was destroyed by floods. Sixty houses lined this wooden bridge, which collapsed in 1499. There would be two more incarnations before construction began in 1910 on the Pont Notre-Dame. The bridge was built in metal and Jean Résal, who had worked on the Pont Mirabeau and Point Alexandre III, directed the work. There are 37 bridges in Paris that cross the Seine.

Joann Moser in the book "Singular Impressions: The Monotype in America" notes on page 113: "He (Van Souln) learned the basic techniques of etching and monotype as well as painting and became especially interested in Rembrandt's etchings, seeking in his own etchings and monotypes the Dutch master's soft burr and chiaroscuro effects. Van Sloun drew directly on the plate and developed a method of applying full-strength acid to the etching without the use of a ground. Although he was intrigued by the soft-focus effect of the monotype, he was disturbed by the accidental nature of the medium and experimented with methods to obtain a more controllable and predictable outcome. Van Sloun developed a special combination of inks and oil paints that would retain the images and also special processes for printing them....in later years he developed a technique technique that he called a "pen monotype," in which the image was created by line alone."