Chapter 11 describes of the history and processes of Printmaking, a medium that includes elements of drawing, painting, and carving. Printmaking originated in the West very soon after the appearance of the first book printed with movable type, The Gutenberg Bible. In post-medieval Western culture, prints—the primary mode of book illustration, were fundamental to the creation of our shared visual culture. Since the 19th century, and increasingly since World War II, there has been a resurgence of popularity for prints. The print has also provided contemporary artists with a medium to explore mechanically reproduced imagery itself. Prints are popular in that original works of art (paintings or sculptures) are often too expensive for the average collector to afford. Prints are an avenue through which artists can gain greater exposure.

After reading this chapter you should:

1. have an understanding of the following terms and techniques related to printmaking including:
   • aquatint
   • AP (artist proof)
   • burin
   • drypoint
   • edition
   • engraving
   • etching
   • ground (hard and soft)
   • linocut
   • matrix
   • mezzotint
   • registration
   • serigraphs
   • ukiyo-e
   • woodcut

2. know the following basic printmaking processes: relief, intaglio, lithography, silkscreen, and monotype. What are their similarities and their differences?

3. know the contributions that the WORKS IN PROGRESS artists Albrecht Dürer, Utamaro, and June Wayne made to the field of printmaking, and consider why they were included in the book.

4. consider why certain artists have preferred various printmaking process over others, and how they took advantage of those processes. For instance, why did Dürer find engraving appealing, and why did Gauguin prefer the rough woodcut? What drew Picasso toward linocut or Cassatt to drypoint?

5. understand how the process of editioning—making multiple copies from same plate or block, has revolutionized the manner in which artists can become known. What then, draws some artists to monoprints?

6. recognize that women artists have played a major role in bringing lithography and printmaking back to the forefront of the art world through the founding and promotion of printmaking workshops throughout the United States.

In essence, printmaking has allowed artists the best of both worlds—the convenience and cost efficiency of multiple images, combined with a fine arts approach (drawing, painting and carving) in the creation of their original images. Some artists, such as Andy Warhol, have pushed those lines between the "fine arts" and commercialism deliberately. Warhol's silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe and other cultural icons have caused us to question whether the commercial process itself—marketing and producing hundreds of replications—isn't an art form all its own. Other artists such as Fritz Scholder prefer to research the aesthetic possibilities of the singular monoprint — a process which often contributes surprises that result in new discoveries allowing for a new freedom of creativity. Scholder's mastery of the monoprint demonstrate how the visual effects of printmaking can become virtually unlimited.

Copyright © 1995-2008, Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall Legal and Privacy Terms