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Article · The Art Post Blog

Grattage: when art is created by scraping the surface

By Caterina Stringhetta

Type
Article
Level
Beginner
Price
Free
Published
2025
Open on The Art Post Blog(opens in a new tab)

About this lesson

Explains grattage as a subtractive technique invented by Max Ernst: a layer of wet paint is spread over canvas and then scraped away with a spatula, comb or found object to expose unplanned textures, with practical notes on trying it with minimal materials.