In the present etchings the totality of the work may only be apprehended by viewing the whole portfolio. Judd thereby ensures that neither the rectangularity of the aquatint ground nor the linear image is predominant as might be the case when viewing each image in isolation.

 

By restricting the tonal variation to one color (black) and by masking out the design elements, Judd emphasizes the flatness of the image, for margins and the motif are in the same plane and tone. The aquatint, which in all other respects acts as a ground, is paradoxically, therefore, the only printed area. The coarse application of the aquatint, which allows a speckled penetration by the paper tone, further emphasizes this flatness.