Ratio XVIII, the eighteenth work in the series, represents a mature articulation of Nakazawa's proportional investigations. By this stage in a sustained series, the formal constraints are likely deeply internalized, allowing the artist to introduce subtle variations — in acid bite depth, in the character of the calligraphic marks, in the size and placement of metal leaf — without departing from the underlying structural logic. The etched surface at this stage may carry evidence of revision: burnished passages where marks were softened or removed, re-bitten areas of intensified tone. Metal leaf applied over an intaglio field this dense in accumulated working creates a complex interaction between opaque ink layers and reflective surface, one in which the proportional grid is felt more than literally seen.
Ratio XVIII was created by Shinichi Nakazawa (中澤慎一).
Ratio XVIII uses Etching, on etching with metal leaf.
Ratio XVIII depicts calligraphy and abstract.
