ART: Chapter 8
Prebles' Artforms - Printmaking
Introduction to Printmaking
Tanja Softic, Quiver
An artwork characterized by a layering of images, with each distinct layer having its own color.
Functions as a meditation on fragile structures, connecting to the intricate process of memory.
The artist describes her creations as "visual poems."
Prints as Artforms
Prints are defined as one of a series of nearly identical art pieces, typically produced on paper.
They are recognized as more accessible artforms due to their lower prices and wider distribution, making art available to a broader audience.
Key Printmaking Terms and Purposes
Definition of Prints
An artwork that exists in multiple copies.
Created from a matrix, which is the original working surface, typically made from materials such as metal, wood, or stone.
Edition
Refers to a group of images pulled from the same matrix.
Often numbered, indicating the sequence in which the prints were pulled from the matrix.
Progressive Proofs
Stages of a print's development that artists review. An Artist's Proof (AP) signifies a stage satisfactory to the artist before the final edition is printed.
Nature of Print Editions
Print editions are considered works of art with "siblings" but are all considered original.
This concept is likened to the human experience: individuals are all "the same" in their humanity, yet each is distinct.
Historical Development
Printing pictures emerged in China during the century.
Movable type technology developed by the century in China.
Printmaking began in Europe in the century, driven by a demand for inexpensive religious icons, playing cards, and for illustrating books using movable type.
Reasons Artists Make Prints
Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness: Prints are generally less expensive than unique paintings or sculptures, making them purchasable by a wider group of viewers.
Social Impact: They offer an effective way to influence social change through wide distribution, in contrast to unique works of art.
Artistic Fascination: Artists are often drawn to the inherent process and craft involved in printmaking.
Relief Printing
Characteristics
The relief printing process is analogous to fingerprints, rubber stamps, or the impressions left by wet tires.
Ink is applied to the raised surfaces, and the areas intended to remain white are cut away.
Process
The artist creates the matrix by cutting away parts of the surface, leaving the design elevated or "in relief."
Tools Used
Common tools include gouges, knives, and chisels.
Woodcut
Also known as woodblocks, this medium lends itself well to bold black-and-white contrasts.
It does not easily accommodate color, although techniques using multiple blocks were developed.
Editions are typically limited to a couple hundred prints due to the natural deterioration of the relief edges of the wood.
Woodcut in Japan
The form flourished in Japan from the to centuries.
Artists achieved subtle and highly integrated color effects by using multiple woodblocks, which were carefully registered (aligned).
It was a preferred method among the middle class, with subject matter ranging from famous theater actors and landscapes to erotic images.
Hiroshige’s Light Rain at Shono () is a prime example of color woodcuts.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Port Scene ()
This woodcut is characterized by its roughness, resulting in an almost indecipherable image, where the texture of the matrix is strikingly obvious.
Kirchner's direct and expressive approach represented a revolt against the polished effects typically sought by other European printmakers of his era.
Wood Engraving
Traditionally utilized for book illustration.
Created on very dense wood, which is set on end, making it highly durable and capable of producing large editions.
Employs metal tools, allowing for high detail.
William Blake was an early pioneer, notably illustrating Thornton’s Pastorals of Virgil in .
His work, such as Boy Returning Joyfully, with Plough and Oxen, demonstrates the high level of detail achievable.
Linocut (Linoleum Cut)
Involves gouging a synthetic linoleum surface in areas not meant to receive ink.
Linoleum functions as a soft matrix, lacking grain, which allows for cuts with equal ease in any direction.
Elizabeth Catlett, I Have Special Reservations … () features even, white gouges and represents socially conscious printmaking, presenting dignified images of African Americans.
Betsabeé Romero (Contemporary Artist)
Based in Mexico City, Romero acquires used tires with eroded treads.
She carves relief patterns into them, often based on traditional Mexican pop culture motifs like skeletons and flowers.
These tires are then easily inked for printing on long sheets, which can be sold by the yard or exhibited alongside the carved tires themselves.
Intaglio Printing
Basic Principle
In intaglio printing, unlike relief, the areas below the surface of the matrix are where the ink is held.
The term comes from the Italian word intagliare, meaning “to cut into.”
Process
First, ink is daubed onto the entire surface of the metal plate.
The surface is then meticulously wiped clean, ensuring that ink remains only within the incised grooves.
Finally, damp paper is passed beneath a press roller, forcing it into the grooves to pick up the ink.
A characteristic feature of intaglio prints is the presence of plate marks left by the roller impression on the paper.
Engraving
The artist uses a specialized tool called a burin to incise lines directly into a metal plate.
This process demands significant strength and control, making it difficult to draw lines freely due to the pressure required.
A scraper is used to smooth down any rough edges, or "burrs," created by the burin along the groove.
Engraving techniques are notably seen in the intricate designs of United States currency.
Albrecht Dürer's complex prints, such as The Knight, Death, and the Devil (), exemplify the precision and detail achievable through engraving.
Drypoint
Similar in principle to line engraving but employs a different tool: a tool with a steel or diamond tip.
This tool is used on a softer metal plate, usually copper or zinc.
The key characteristic is the displaced metal, which forms a burr—a rough edge along the incised line.
This burr catches ink, creating a distinctive blurred, soft line in the final print.
Drypoint typically yields small editions and is rarely used as a standalone technique; it is more commonly used to add fine details to etchings.
Etching
Involves preparing a metal plate (copper or zinc) with an acid-resistant ground, such as wax or varnish.
The artist then draws through this protective surface to expose the metal beneath.
The plate is immersed in a nitric acid bath, which "bites" into the exposed lines.
The depth and strength of the groove depend on both the strength of the acid and the amount of time the plate remains in the acid bath.
Etched lines are generally more relaxed and irregular compared to the precise, controlled lines of engraving.
Rembrandt van Rijn’s Christ Preaching () showcases the skillful use of light and shadow provided by this medium, offering a notable contrast to Dürer's more precise engraved lines.
Aquatint
A technique often combined with etching, used to create gray tones and varying values.
It involves sprinkling acid-resistant powder over areas of the plate that need shading.
Mary Cassatt’s The Letter () is a notable example, combining drypoint and aquatint.
Contemporary Development: Electroetching is a modern variant that seeks to mitigate the health risks to artists associated with the traditional use of acids.
Lithography
Nature of the Process
Lithography is a surface or planographic printing process, meaning the image is printed from a flat surface rather than from raised or incised lines.
It is known for being a faster and more flexible method of printmaking.
Traditional Process
The artist draws the image directly onto a Bavarian limestone block or a metal plate without cutting into the surface.
Drawing materials include litho crayons, pencils, or a greasy liquid known as tusche.
Chemical Principle
After the image is drawn, the completed surface is treated with gum arabic, which adheres only to the non-image areas.
The surface is then dampened with water, which is absorbed by the gummed areas but repelled by the greasy image areas.
When ink (oil-based) is applied, it adheres only to the greasy drawn image and is repelled by the wet, gummed areas.
Advantages
Because the surface remains intact and is not cut, lithographic stones or plates can be reused multiple times.
This process provided significant ease of printing, particularly notable after its development in the early s.
Notable Artists and Works
Honoré Daumier was among the first lithographic artists to fully utilize the medium.
His work, such as Rue Transnonain, April 15, 1834 (), powerfully captured the tragic event of militia killing innocent tenants, and was published the day after the incident to influence social change.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec produced hundreds of innovative lithographs, characterized by bright colors and flattened compositions.
He pioneered a new style of lithographic poster, featuring large formats and innovative compositions, as seen in works like Aristide Bruant () and Ambassadeurs: Aristide Bruant ().
Stencil and Screenprinting
Stencil
A stencil is essentially a sheet with a design cut out of it.
Painting over the stencil transfers the design to the picture plane.
It serves as a straightforward method for creating multiple works of art and is favored by street artists for its directness.
A limitation of this method is that shading is generally not possible.
Kim McCarthy’s Urban Buddha () demonstrates how stencils can be used to create subtle, repeated patterns.
Screenprinting (Silkscreen or Serigraphy)
Involves adhering a stencil to a screen, which was traditionally made of silk (hence "silkscreen").
A rubber-edged blade, called a squeegee, is used to push ink through the fabric in the open areas of the stencil onto the printing surface.
This method is highly effective for producing uniform and consistent colors.
Characteristics and Applications
One significant advantage of screenprinting is that it does not involve the reversal of the image, unlike most other printmaking processes.
Its efficiency and ability to produce bold images make it highly suitable for poster production, frequently utilized by social movements to spread messages widely.
Jesús Barraza’s We Are Fighting! is an excellent example of silkscreen, featuring a portrait of activist Milañ Loeak and a quote from one of her essays.
Photo Screen
A modern development in screenprinting that uses light-sensitive gelatin to create the stencil on the screen fabric.
Andy Warhol’s Gangster Funeral () exemplifies the possibilities of photo screen, where variations in the final prints were caused by varying the amount of ink pushed through the screen by the squeegee.
Contemporary Approaches to Printmaking
Adoption of New Technologies and Dimensions
Contemporary artists are increasingly incorporating new technologies and exploring the third dimension in their printmaking practices.
Michelle Murillo, Adrift 1979 – Rosalba Llanos de Muñoz ()
Utilizes sandblasted glass, a process similar to silkscreening, to embed images onto the surface of blue kiln-formed glass.
Her work specifically highlights the frequent ocean-crossing migrations, adding a social commentary layer.
Combination of Techniques
Artists often combine multiple traditional and modern printmaking techniques.
Nicola López, Blighted ()
Combines woodcut and lithography.
Printed on Mylar, the artwork depicts shattering buildings, serving as a powerful visual commentary related to the attacks of September , .
3-D Printing
Artists create a design using specialized modeling software, which is then produced by a 3-D printer.
It is crucial to note that a 3-D print is technically not considered a print in the traditional sense because it is not an impression made from a matrix. However, it is fundamentally a limited edition artwork produced by an artist.
Brenna Murphy’s Rainbow Array 1 () is an example of 3-D printed sandstone with pigment, created in an edition of plus A P.