PRINTMAKING During the Renaissance the invention of the printing press is one of the greatest innovations

Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation would probably never have occurred if 1,000’s of his 95 criticisms of the church (with printed cartoons for the illiterate), had not been circulated all over Europe. Art can now be enjoyed by millions, not just the wealthy and powerful. Not just photo reproductions, but reproductions or mulitiples made directly from a block, plate, stone, or screen that an artist created. The number of prints is limited by the artist and is called the EDITION. Once the last print of an edition is “pulled” - the block or plate or source is destroyed!

What is the difference between a art print and a poster?

Usually an Artist will sign and number each print Usually an Artist will sign and number each print. 23/100 means it is the twenty third print made, out of a hundred prints that were done. Even if 100’s of prints are made in one edition, each one is considered an original. Because there are multiples, prints are generally less expensive than other forms of art.

woodcut In the past 500 years many forms of printmaking have evolved. The first in the West was the WOODCUT. When illuminated (hand painted) manuscripts were replaced by printed books, a way to print illustrations was also needed. Woodcut blocks worked best, and were the simplest of the print media. Made by carving directly in a smooth piece of wood and removing any areas of the surface that are not part of the future image. The negative shapes of the design are cut away, leaving the positive areas raised up.

Woodcuts fall into the category of prints called RELIEF PRINTMAKING - the relief is what is left untouched on the surface. Ink is rolled onto the block and paper is pressed onto the block, printing only the inked relief. (example: wood, linoleum, stamps) The paper was either pressed on and rubbed by hand or placed in a printing press. The first wood cut prints in Europe were simple and crudely done- playing cards or saints or charms for warding off evil spirits.

The Four Horseman by Albrect Durer The prints soon became more sophisticated. All the white area have to be carved out.

Japanese Woodcut process was very different from Durer’s. In Japan, a print was the work of several artisans, each with a specialized role. One was the designer (making the drawing, design and color print), cutters would carve the block, printers would ink and print it. All were considered as important as the others.

Kuniyoshi Utagawa’s Various Stages of Making a Color Print

In a colored print- each different color has a separate carved wooden block. Each color must line up correctly with the previous inked color image. This is called REGISTRATION. If not lined up properly the print will be ruined. It will be blurred or mismatched Registration requires skill and planning by both artist and printer.

Wood engraving Another relief process first used in the 1800’s Uses the end grain on very hard blocks of wood Tools are needed that could cut metal Woods density permits very fine precise lines compared to wood cuts Many more prints can be made before the block begins to deteriorate. The black areas were raised, the white areas were cut out.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Gustave Dore

Intaglio printmaking The opposite of relief printmaking Lines are cut into the surface of metal plates using either sharp tools or acids The cut lines act as channels that retain ink after the ink is wiped off A damp paper is placed on top, and it is run through a press that places pressure on the paper and forces it into the inked areas and transfers the image.

Metal engraving: Engraving is the oldest form of intaglio printmaking It was developed when paper became easily available in Europe during the 1400’s Cuts made into the plate print directly as lines A BURIN is a sharp tool and is the most common engraving tool German artist Martin Schongauer was the first to get delicate lines using engraving

Saint Anthony Tormented by Demons by Martin Schongauer (1445 – 1491) engraving

William Hogarth, a British painter of the 1800’s began making engravings of his work and selling them cheaply because he wanted to make “art accessible to all”. He did some engravings to teach. In “Gin Lane” he wanted to warn the poor about the evils of gin- a new cheap liquor

Gin Lane by William Hogarth

ETCHING (another intaglio process that uses acid rather than metal tools to cut the metal plate) FIRST- a wax coating (or ground) that resists acid is applied to the plate. SECOND- the printmaker than draws by cutting through the ground THIRD- The plate is then put into a tray of acid that bites into the metal-any place the ground has been removed, forming lines. (the lines can be thicker or darker if left in acid longer) FOURTH- the plate is washed FIFTH- the plate is inked and printed just like an engraving

Christ with the Sick Around Him by Rembrandt van Rijn (etching)

AQUATINT Lines are etched Tonal areas are the result of a different method than the deeply bitten line used by Rembrandt. Powdered resins are applied to the plate and it is then heated, melting the resin. Each particle of resin will resist acid.

The Letter by Mary Cassatt (aquatint) Mary Cassatt was influenced by Japanese print makers, especially Utagawa.

LITHOGRAPHY Invented in Bavaria in 1798 First used to reproduce sheets of music cheaply Artists discovered its unique properties No cutting is involved Images are drawn or painted directly in grease on a flat stone or plate Litho crayons (made of wax, soap, and black pigment) used to make images on stone The stone is then treated with a chemical so only the areas that have grease on them will attract the ink when it is rolled on A paper is laid on top and it goes thru the press

Miss Loie Fuller by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (lithograph)

SILK SCREEN Sometime called serigraphy. Originally developed for industrial printing on fabric. Inexpensive method of producing very large editions of prints and is often used for posters and T-shirts. A stencil is attached to a screen of silk that been tightly stretched over a wooden frame. After a piece of paper is placed underneath the screen, ink is spread across the screen with a rubber blade or squeegee. The open area (not covered by stencil ) gets the ink. Its even possible to use photosensitive chemicals to create a photographic stencil (a technique used by artist Barbara Kruger)

Untitled (We Don’t Need Another Hero) by Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger liked to borrow or appropriate images into her prints.

MONOTYPES: It seems almost a contradiction in terms but modern artist have use the printing press to create one-of-a-kind prints called MONOTYPES made by applying ink or paint directly to a metal plate and then running it with paper through a press. Wheatfield and Line of Trees (pastels over a monotype) by Edgar Degas

Artists are still exploring printmaking today often making multiple PROOFS (a test print) to get it the way they want. “I have to make about a million proofs of everything. You come back to something and then you leave it, and each time it changes.” Kiki Smith