PRINTMAKING REVIEW 2CD QUARTER UNIT 2013

Instructor Nancy CartyVisual Art IV Honors

History of Printmaking In Europe the artist Albrecht Durer became famous

for his work as an engraver working on both woodblocks and metal plates

Durer was responsible for bringing the accomplishments of the Italian Renaissance to Northern Europe in the 1500’s

His emphasis on drawing from observation, intense realism as well as anatomy and perspective helped to change the course of art in Germany.

Artist: Albrecht DurerTitle: Four Horseman of the Apocalypse Knight, Devil and DeathDate : 1513Engraving

This image relies heavily on the medieval use of symbolismThe Knight represents aChristian soldier marching into A battle with evil

The middle class in GermanyCould afford to buy printsAnd they had the advantage of Being portable

Engraving Techniques Engraving can be done on both wood and metal surfaces.

In both instance a stylus or needle like drawing tool is used to scratch lines in the surface of the plate. Once the image is drawn on the surface, ink

is wiped into the lines so that the ink stays down in the Small grooves of the design The paper is then placed on top of the plate and a press Is used to force the ink into the paper

This type of printing is also called INTAGLIO as the ink is located down in the lines of the design.

St. Jerome in his Study by Durer Another famous engraving by

DurerDepicts St Jerome in his study ‘transcribing Biblical literature

Most of Europe was illiterate So this image refers to St Jerome as a RenaissanceMan with references to His knowledge of Math, History , Music, and the World

The skull represents death The lion represents courage Here you see the artist’s mastery of persective, realism and lighting with incredible detail.

Rembrandt Van RijnDutch Baroque Artist

Rembrandt Van Rijn is one of the Most famous Dutch Baroque artists And was a very famous painterAnd printmaker

He was able to provide a sizable Income working with portraiture

The Protestant Reformation hadForced many artists to seek work Beyond the church

A rising middle class that could afford Art gave rise to the traditions of Landscape, still life and portraiture

Rembrandt Self Portraits

The portrait on the left reveals a youthful Rembrandt and his choiceTo use the two gold chains points to his wealth and status as a Painter. What does the portrait on the right say about his life?

Rembrandt as Printmaker Rembrandt was also a masterful printmaker and his

clients could well afford a print He created many prints using the Bible as a literary

source of inspiration He also chose to create a version of St Jerome In the Wilderness and depicts the theme of a lion as

a symbol of courage and faith in St. Jerome’s trust in God This image is an engraving created on metal plates.

Rembrandt was a master of light and shadow and movement in his prints.

St Jerome in the Wilderness by Rembrandt-1653

Etching and Drypoint

Etching involves the use of metal Plates which are covered with a Soft wax ground

A design is then scratched into The surface to make the design

The plates are then dropped in Acid baths to deepen the lines Into several valuesThe plate is inked, and run throughA press

This process is called INTAGLIO How does this theme differ from that of Durer?

Compare and Contrast these two prints :

Both prints use the INTAGLIO printing process Both are done on metal plates with a stylus Both artists were able to sell their work to an affluent

middle class in Northern Europe Both arist’s rely on the use of symbolism

Durer is more focused on scientific realism and spreading knowledge of technical skills he has gained

Rembrandt is more interested in depicting a spiritual expression of the Bible

In both cases many people could not read

Rembrandt the Nightwatch

Nightwatch1662Oil Painting on Canvas

Why was this painting so Controversial ?

The Syndicate of the Cloth GuildRembrandt 1662 Oil on Canvas

What made this painting so successful ?

Themes of the Baroque Emphasis on dramatic lighting and composition In the North the artists broke away from the

church as a patron and concentrated on The development of portraiture, landscape and

still life as a way of earning income The last group portrait commission that

Rembrandt created was very well received as each individual felt that they were honored in the painting by being represented equally

The Romantic Period in Art History

The Romantic Period in Art History incorporated some of the following themes

Artists reacted against the strict rules of the Classical and Neo Classical periods

The new style emphasized individual emotions and expressions

Romantic artists dealt with themes of social injustice, and the inhumanities of man in war, and society

Nature and mysticism is revered

Francisco Goya – Spanish painter and printmaker

Page 390 Discover Art HistoryAppointed court painter to King Charles the IV of

Spain Initially his style was conservative but in 1792

after a severe illness he became DEAF The dark side of the civil war between Spain and

France left strong impressions on the horrors of war

His print the Sleep of Reason Produces monsters speaks to the horrors he experienced

The Sleep of Reason by Goya

Etching and AquatintThe Sleep of Reason Fransisco Goya Etching ( Intaglio)1794-1799

The theme here addresses the Nightmares that Goya is having From experiencing the horrors Of warEtching is produced by engraving On metal plates which are then Dropped in to acid bathsThe shading is called aquatint

Japanese Printmaking In Japan , the impact of Japanese woodcuts

had an effect on European art in both Impressionism and Post Impressionism

The Japanese were wonderful and technical registration and the art form they produced was

Called Ukiyoe or Pictures of the Floating World Edo later called Tokyo was the center for this

art form and in general prints were produced on the themes of everyday life, the theatre, and changing weather conditions

Work of Hiroshige One of the most famous Japanese printmakers was

called Hokusai and he was famous for showing nature and changing weather conditions in everyday life

And the transience of everyday life

Woodcut by Hiroshige

Rain Shower on Ohashi Bridge1857Color Woodblock Print by

Hiroshige

Note the emphasis on the Flat shapes with the strong Negative spaceTraditional one point Perspective is not used on Japanese Printmaking

Haronobu

INFLUENCE OF JAPANESE PRINTMAKING ON MODERN ART

Many artists in the movements of Impressionism and Post Impressionism were influenced by the importation of Japanese prints

Their simplified forms and strong flattened shapes against a flat background provided the inspiration for ABSTRACTION in Modern Art

Post Impressionism artists influences from Japanese Prints

Toulouse L’Autrec was a printmaker who worked in Paris in the late 1800’s . He was part of the Post Impressionism movement which emphasized color and expression of a personal style

His subject matter revolved around the night club scene in Paris and many of his subjects were women

As L’Autrec was a hunchback his pessimistic view of women was reflected in unusual lighting and strong dynamic compositions

Lithography Toulouse L’Autrec worked in the medium of

Lithography which translates as stone printing, Heavy stones are ground to a smooth finish . A grease crayon or ink is used to draw on the surface of the stone. A chemical solution allows the grease to absorb into the stone . When the stone is ready for printing it is kept wet with water, The oil based ink adheres to the grease only and not the wet watery areas of the stone. Artists had a new freedom to draw their designs directly as a print

Toulouse L’Autrec Lithographic Prints – late 1880’s

Toulouse LautrecMoulin RougeLa Goulue1891ParisLithographyPoster

The new art form was the posterAnd L’Autrec was hired to design Posters for the Moulin Rouge in Paris

German Expressionism WWI Kathe Kollewitz was the wife of a German

doctor during WWI and she was very affected by the loss of life in WWI

As part of her efforts to draw attention to the large numbers of widows and orphans she created a series of lithography posters and drawings that increased public awareness of the problems in Germany at that time

Kathe Kollewitz /Artist-early 1930’s

Lithography As A Means to Increase Social Awareness In ‘Society

Andy Warhol – POP ART The Pop art movement in the 1960 drew

attention to the focus on mass marketing and mass consumption by the American Public

Everyday icons like the Campbell Soup Can became symbols of American life and society and hence Andy Warhol used this image as an icon or symbol of an American ideal

The medium he used was silkcreen which was used to create all the labels for packaging

Silkcreen techniques In silkscreen the silk fabric is stretched very tightly over

a frame. Then a stencil is made on the silk out of paper, or glue

or photo sensitive material A large flat scraper or squeegee is used to pull the ink

across the holes of the screen and the design is pushed through the holes on to the paper

Silk screen lends itself to fast commercial work and is used for advertising ,T SHIRTS, bumper stickers and other commercial venues

Andy WarholSoup Can 1962Silkcreen Pop Art

Andy Warhol –Marilyn Monroe

1960’s Silkscreen

Warhol wanted to Address the Over use of The symbol of Marilyn Monroe At the expense of Her personal lifeMass Exploitation

Conclusion Printmaking offers a view of how the role of

artists changed over time with respect to their intentions to make art

In some cases the opportunity that making multiple prints provided helped to spread

New public awareness on social issues Unfortunately the mass markets of

advertising use printmaking to market goods and services