Early 'painterly' monotypes

Whilst researching the history of monoprints and monotypes I came across these very expressive, painterly prints by Frank L. Emanuel (1865-1948). They both capture and present a powerful emotive connection to the landscape, moving away from the figurative to abstraction.
He was a lover of traditional art and very much opposed to modern trends in the art world so these two works stand out from his usual representational landscapes, portraits and interiors. Studying in Paris during the late 19th century he would have been aware of other painters working and experimenting with this approach.

Edgar Degas exhibited his monotypes in the third Impressionist exhibition of 1877 with several artists becoming interested in this form of art thus giving printmaking a status as a result of the creative and spontaneous use of the media. Many artists of this period adopted and adapted this method of working,- Camille Pissarro, Paul Gaugin, Pierre Bonnard, Pablo Picasso, Chagall, Miro, Dubuffet and Matisse amongst them. A common name for them during this period was 'painted drawings'.
It has been suggested that artists experimenting with this type of printing technique were influenced by the early developments of photography with its black and white contrasts and interplay of positive and negative imagery.

'A lowering Afternoon' Monotype 1920 153 x 202mm

'Moonrise over the Sea' Unfinished Mezzotint. 153 x 201 mm.