THE HISTORY

Printmaking is an ancient process. Stamp and cylinder seals dating as far back as the sixth millenium BC have been found in Syria and Asia Minor. These were carved bits of stone or clay which, when pressed into moist clay, transferred symbols and images of identity or piety. With the invention of paper in China in the eighth century AD, the practical potential of printmaking was soon realized. Woodblocks with relief carving on them carried writing as well as pictorial images and could be printed repeatedly on paper.

It was not until the late fourteenth century, however, when paper began to be manufactured in Europe, that printmaking--first with woodblocks, later with metal plates, and finally with stones--became a force in Western art and commerce. Although prints most often functioned as reproductions of famous paintings, many were works of art in their own right. Durer's woodblock prints and wood engravings, Rembrandt's etchings, and Daumier's lithographs (many of which were done as editorial satire for newsapers) are notable examples.

Other fine artists since Daumier have carried on the tradition. In America, the rapidly expanding art market of the past several decades and the resulting astronomical increase in some prices have spurred a renewed interest in hand-pulled, original prints. They are, in most cases, less expensive than paintings and sculptures because they are made in multipes, monoprints and monotypes being the exception. Yet they retain the orginality of aesthetic expression that is inherent in painting and other single works because they are created and printed, usually in very limited editions by the artist. Thus, such works have a direct, integral connection with the creator.

EACH AN ORIGINAL

An original print is the result of a process that produces multiples. It is in no sense a copy or reproduction because in this process there is no original to copy. Rather, each print is itself an origial--the print is the process. For many fine artists, printmaking is their primary form of expression. There are several reasons for this. They like the idea of getting their creations to a larger audience. Also, each printmaking method has its own unusual quality, different from the others and different from a painting or drawing. Finally, printmaking is a hands-on process which has its own appeal. The making of plates, blocks, and stencils, the inking for each color, and the preparation of the paper requires physical as well as aesthetic involvement. As a rule, printmaking demands more planning and organization than does a painting or drawing. Mistakes cannot be painted over or erased. In silkscreen prints, for example, the number of sencils involved in just one print can run to 30 and above, and it takes thought and practice to handle so many layers of color. Because some types of prints do not allow the use of shading, more attention must be paid to pattern and texture.