PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Chapter 2 3

PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Introduction § Printing with inks was first used in China to print patterns on fabrics in the third century CE § There are many different techniques, and each one gives a unique character to every work it creates § Artists may not always do the production work themselves. If they create the master image, supervise the process, and sign the artwork, it is considered an original print § The production of two or more identical images, signed and numbered by the artist, is called an edition § There are three main printing processes: relief, intaglio, and planography Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Context of Printmaking § The earliest existing printed artworks on paper were created in China and date back to the eighth century CE § By the ninth century, printed scrolls containing Buddhist sutras (scriptures or prayers) were being made across east Asia § While the woodblock print remained the primary vehicle for the development of the print in Asia, in the West a number of additional techniques developed over time Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Relief Printmaking § Relief prints are made by carving away from a block of a suitably workable material, such as wood or linoleum, a certain amount of it, to create a raised image § The artist then applies ink to the raised surface and transfers the image to paper or similar material by applying pressure in a printing press § The areas of the block that remain print the image because the carved areas are recessed and are not inked Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES 2. 41 A brief overview of the relief printing process Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Woodblock § Traditionally, wood has been used for relief prints because it is readily available, familiar to work with, and holds up under the pressure exerted by the printing process; these prints are known as woodcuts Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 42 Albrecht Dürer, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, c. 1497– 8. Woodcut, 15⅜ x 11”

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Albrecht Dürer, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse § Four Horsemen… is the most famous image in this series of fifteen illustrations and was made from a specially prepared woodblock § Dürer commissioned professional block cutters to perform the layering, and they also cut the highly detailed lines of his original drawing into the block § The Book of Revelation is a symbolic piece of writing that prophesies the Apocalypse, or end of the world § The horsemen represent Death, Plague, War, and Famine Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 43 Kitagawa Utamaro, Lovers in an Upstairs Room, from Uta makura (Poem of the Pillow), 1788. Color woodblock print, 10 x 14½”. British Museum, London, England

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Kitagawa Utamaro, Lovers in an Upstairs Room § Uses multiple colors and shows great graphic skill in controlling the crisp character of the print and the interplay of multiple blocks in different colors § Care must be taken to align each print color perfectly; this registration is done by carving perfectly matching notches along two sides of each block to guide the placement of the paper § Utamaro made images for the Japanese middle and upper classes of figures, theaters, and brothels, in a style known as ukiyo-e printmaking § Ukiyo-e means “pictures of the floating world” Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 44 Emil Nolde, Prophet, 1912. Woodcut, printed in black, composition 12⅝ × 8¾”. MOMA, New York

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Emil Nolde, Prophet § Uses the natural character of the wood to suggest the hardships and austerity of the life of his subject § The crude carving of the block has produced splintering, and the printing has revealed the grain of the wood § The print’s lack of refinement reflects the raw hardness of the life of a prophet Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 45 Katsushika Hokusai, “The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa, ” from Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, 1826– 33 (printed later). Print, color woodcut. Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Gateway to Art: Hokusai, “The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa” Using the Woodblock Printing Method § Hokusai was not solely responsible for the production of this print: he relied on skilled craftsmen § He made a drawing of his subject, which a print craftsman then transferred face down onto a block of cherry wood § The craftsman then carved the image into the wood § To create a color woodblock print a printer must produce a new relief block for each separate color § Nine blocks were used to print “The Great Wave” § The printmaker had to carry out the sequence of printing skillfully because each new color was printed directly on top of the same sheet of paper Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Intaglio Printmaking § Intaglio is derived from an Italian word that means “cut into” a surface § Intaglio printing differs from relief printmaking because little of the base material is removed § The ink on the raised surface is also wiped away before printing, leaving ink in the scarred surface of the plate § The pressure of the printing press squeezes the plate against the paper, transferring the ink Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Engraving § The intaglio engraving method is based on the careful scoring of a metal plate so that clean gouges are created in the surface § An engraving can achieve fine detail, making the resulting print more like the artist’s original drawing Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 47 Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504. Engraving on paper. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve § Dürer had a financial reason for choosing to engrave his work: § He had to pay engravers to make his printing plate, and because the metal plate is much more durable than the woodblock, he could make and sell many more copies Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Drypoint § In drypoint the cutting tool is pulled, leaving a rough edge, or burr § The result is a less precise line that has more irregularities Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 48 Max Beckmann, Adam and Eve, 1917, published 1918. Drypoint, 9⅜ x 7”. Private collection, New York

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Max Beckmann, Adam and Eve § The artist probably chose drypoint because of its slightly uneven, irregular quality of line § More expressive line is created by the burr Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Etching § Etching is a process in which a metal plate is covered with an acid-resistant coating, into which the artist scratches the design § The plate is then immersed in a bath of acid § The acid “bites” into the metal where the covering has been removed, making grooves that hold the ink Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 49 Rembrandt, Adam and Eve, 1638. Etching. Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth University, Hanover, New Hampshire

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Rembrandt, Adam and Eve § Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was a master of intaglio printmaking, especially etching § Rembrandt brings out details by marring the plate surface more in the areas that will appear darker in the print Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Aquatint § Requires the use of an acid bath to etch the surface of the plate § Water does not play a role in aquatint printmaking § The image is created in a coating of powdered rosin, or spray paint, on the surface of the plate § When heated, the rosin melts onto the surface of the plate, creating a mottled, acid-resistant barrier into which the design is etched § Since the rosin leaves irregular areas of the plate exposed, a soft organic texture (similar to that created when one uses brush and ink) dominates the image Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 50 Francisco Goya, Giant, c. 1818. Burnished aquatint, first state, sheet size 11¼ x 8¼”. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Francisco Goya, Giant § This print shows the wash-like appearance of the aquatint process § The print has a soft, rich implied texture § The contours of the giant’s body are not sharply distinguished Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 51 a Francisco Goya, The Third of May, 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, 8’ 4⅜” x 11’ 3⅞”. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

2. 51 b Francisco Goya, “And There Is No Remedy, ” from Disasters of War, c. 1810

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Gateway to Art: Goya, The Third of May, 1808 Prints as Art and as Creative Tools § Goya sketched scenes of the occupation by Napoleon’s troops, calling them Disasters of War § Compositionally, there are similarities between the print “And There Is No Remedy” and the later painting The Third of May, 1808 u u The firing squad about to shoot its helpless targets is arranged in a strikingly similar way The horizontal rifles on the right side of the print create a directional line drawing attention toward the victim § Goya’s masterpiece Third of May, 1808 evolved after years of trial and practice in his prints Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Mezzotint § Mezzotints often produce dark, rich values because the ink has many places to settle § To make a mezzotint the entire surface is roughened with a heavy spiked rocking tool, which is a metal object with a spiked, curved bottom § The roughened surface is then smoothed in the areas where the printmaker wants the light tones § Ink is removed from the smoothed areas when the plate is wiped: the inked areas create dark tones and the smoothed areas hold less ink to create light tones Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 52 Dox Thrash, Defense Worker, c. 1941, Carborundum mezzotint over etched guidelines, 9¾ x 8”. Print and Picture Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Dox Thrash, Defense Worker § Uses mezzotint over etched guidelines § Thrash wanted to use the dark mood created by mezzotint to reflect the drama and seriousness of the war effort at home § This work was sponsored by the Works Projects Administration, a government program originally created during the Great Depression to employ Americans at a time when jobs were hard to find § Thrash, like other artists of the time, uses the dark values afforded by the medium to express the spirit and strength of the American worker Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Planographic Printmaking § Planographic prints are made from an entirely flat surface § The printmaker treats parts of the surface so the ink adheres only to selected areas Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Lithography § Lithography is traditionally done on stone § German author Alois Senefelder devised the lithographic printing process in 1796 § Some artists like lithography because it allows them to draw a design in the same way they do a drawing § An artist first draws a design, using a grease pencil or other oil-based drawing material, directly onto a piece of specially selected, cleaned, and prepared limestone § The combination of the water-absorbent stone and the oily drawing material work together so that a design in oilbased ink is suspended on the surface to print Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES 2. 53 A brief overview of the lithography process: 1 The artist designs the image to be printed 2 Using a grease pencil, the design is drawn onto the limestone, blocking the pores 3 The stone is treated with acid and other chemicals that are brushed onto its surface 4 The surface is wiped clean with a solvent, such as kerosene 5 The stone is sponged so that water can be absorbed into the pores of the stone 6 Oil-based ink is repelled by the water and sits only on areas where the oil crayon image was drawn 7 Paper is laid on the surface of the stone and it is drawn through a press 8 The paper is removed from the press Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 54 Honoré Daumier, Rue Transnonain, April 15, 1834. Lithograph, 11½ x 17⅝”. Private collection

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Honoré Daumier, Rue Transnonain, April 15, 1834 § Daumier used his skills combined with the lithographic process to tell the citizens of Paris about an incident of police brutality § Depicted the aftermath of an incident that took place at Rue Transnonain on April 15, 1834 § Thinking that an attack had come from a residence at 12 Rue Transnonain, the authorities entered the house and ruthlessly killed everyone inside § A father and child lie in the center, flanked by the mother and an elderly family member Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Silkscreen Printing § Silkscreen printing is one of the most versatile printing processes, capable of placing a heavy coverage of ink on a wide variety of surfaces § Silkscreen printing was first developed in China during the Sung Dynasty and uses a stencil process § The image area of the screen is open and allows ink to pass through, while the rest of the screen is masked off Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 55 Andy Warhol, Double Elvis, 1963. Silkscreen ink and silver paint on canvas, 17’¾” × 6’ 9⅞”. Stiftung Sammlung Marx, Hamburger Bahnhof-Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Andy Warhol, Double Elvis § Andy Warhol utilized photographic silkscreen techniques over aluminum paint to create a distinctive style § The artist deliberately repeats the image of Elvis to comment on the nature of mass-produced images in advertising § He emphasizes the flatness and lack of depth in the character played by Elvis § The doubling “clones” of Elvis accentuate the degeneration that occurs when an original is copied Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Editions § Prints are produced in limited numbers of identical impressions, called editions § The printmaker has the ethical responsibility of making sure each print is similar enough to the others that each person who buys a print has a high-quality image § When a print is deemed identical to others in the edition it is assigned a number in the production sequence § Even though they could create more prints than they do, most artists decide to print a set number of prints: a limited edition Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Monotypes and Monoprints § Monotypes and monoprints are print techniques where the artist means to produce a unique image u u A monotype image prints from a polished plate, perhaps glass or metal Monoprints can be made using any print process Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 56 Hedda Sterne, Untitled (Machine Series), 1949. Trace monotype, design 12 x 16⅜”. Harvard Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Hedda Sterne, Untitled (Machine Series) § Sole woman in a group of abstract painters called the Irascibles § Although abstract, Sterne’s Untitled monotype makes associations with architectural and mechanical images § Sterne probably employed a straightedge to maintain the regularity of line in the print Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

2. 57 Kathy Strauss, Kepler Underneath 1, 2007. Monotype over India-inked calculations, Somerset velvet paper, each panel 30 x 23”. Collection of the artist

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Kathy Strauss, Kepler Underneath 1 § Painstakingly depicts the Milky Way Galaxy § The artist has first incised a series of calculus problems into the metal plate § The plate was then completely covered with ink and wiped § Strauss then painted the image of the Milky Way in ink directly onto the same plate § Centered the paper over the image and ran it through the press § Because Strauss painted the ink on by hand, she cannot re-create the result exactly in a second print, so it is not part of an edition Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Conclusion § For relief prints artists carve into a flat, comparatively soft surface (often wood or linoleum) to leave an image on the surface of the block § For intaglio processes, such as engraving, drypoint, and etching, artists cut or gouge into a hard surface § Planographic printing by lithography allows artists to use their familiar drawing skills with an oily crayon on a specially prepared stone § Using stencils to block out non-image areas, silkscreen printing is particularly suited to laying down flat areas of heavy color Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Video: Printmaking (Media/Processes) Click to launch the video Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES This concludes the Power. Point slide set for Chapter 2. 3 Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts By Debra J. De. Witte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson Power. Points developed by Creative. Myndz Multimedia Studios

Chapter 2. 3 Printmaking PART 2 MEDIA AND PROCESSES Picture Credits for Chapter 2. 3 2. 41 2. 43 2. 44 2. 45 2. 46 2. 47 2. 48 2. 49 2. 50 2. 51 a 2. 51 b 2. 52 2. 53 2. 54 2. 55 2. 56 2. 57 Ralph Larmann British Museum, London Museum of Modern Art, New York. Given anonymously (by exchange), Acc. no. 119. 1956. Photo 2011, Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence. © Nolde Stiftung Seebüll Library of Congress, Washington, D. C. Prints & Photographs Division, H. Irving Olds collection, LC-DIG-jpd-02018 Ralph Larmann Victoria & Albert Museum, London © DACS 2011 Kupferstichkabinett, Museen Preussiches Kulturbesitz, Berlin Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1935, Acc. no. 35. 42. Photo Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource/Scala, Florence Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid Private Collection Print and Picture Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia. Courtesy Fine Arts Program, Public Buildings Service, U. S. General Services Administration. Commissioned through the New Deal art projects Ralph Larmann Private Collection © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS London 2011 Fogg Art Museum, Harvard Art Museums, Margaret Fisher Fund, M 25276. Photo Imaging Department © President & Fellows of Harvard College. © ARS, NY and DACS, London 2011 © Kathy Strauss 2007 Power. Points developed by Creative. Myndz Multimedia Studios