You don’t know you are doing something wrong until you find out! For most of my life, I called printed copies of artwork, like posters I would buy as a teenager, or inexpensive framed copies of famous art such as the Andrew Wyeth “Christine’s World” that still hangs in my home, “prints”. That is, until an artist who actually makes prints educated me. Printmaking is an art form in its own right, like painting or sculpture. What I was calling prints are in fact “reproductions”. A print, in the art world anyway, is actually the result of a specific artistic process. But it gets complicated rather quickly. You can’t generalize and say that art prints are hand-made, because some are made with presses. You can’t say that prints are original artworks, because they often exist in “editions”, which can run from 1 to hundreds of copies. And you can’t say they are less expensive than original artwork, because a buyer recently paid $195M for a silkscreen print by Andy Warhol. What you can say is that an art print has been handled by the artist, who usually signs it in pencil, just outside the printed image, usually in the bottom right-hand corner. I say usually, because there seem to be no steadfast rules on this, only guidelines. And artists being who they are…. If it is a limited edition, in other words, if there is a fixed number of prints that were produced using the same matrix (and there are strict rules, even laws on this aspect), then a number x/y will also be hand-written at the bottom, usually on the left, indicating that this specific impression is the xth one of an edition of y. The lower number does not necessarily indicate the order of printing. Each individual print in the edition may be slightly different, simply because of the nature of the process used to print it. The matrix is often destroyed after the edition is completed to ensure no more can be produced. Limited edition prints may increase in value over time, just like original artwork. If it is an open edition (no numbering, but still signed, possibly with a stamp of the signature, especially in very large editions), then there may be literally thousands of this print available, and no appreciation of value is expected, as a few more thousand prints could be run off at any time if the market needs them. So what exactly is a print? Without going too far into the weeds, a print is a work of art that is produced by first creating an image on some type of matrix, then transferring some type of ink via that matrix to some kind of surface (usually paper), using some kind of “printing” process. Those processes include etching, block-printing, lithography, silkscreening, etc. Print techniques are often grouped in categories by the method used to transfer the ink, such as intaglio or relief, to which lithography and silkscreening are sometimes added. Some sources insist there are 3 types, others 4, and yet others 5. This doesn’t help to clarify what printmaking is to the average art lover! But I think artists should understand and make the distinction between what are prints and what should really be called reproductions. And since I myself have become a printmaker, I am more sensitive to this cause. I belong to several groups related to art, both in-person and online. I don’t remember who pointed out the error of my ways when I used to call reproductions “prints”, but I do remember they were kind. So whenever I can, I try to do the same. Sometimes, I am met with the “Well, everybody calls them prints, so…” reply. I can accept that as the easy way out, but really? I can understand that the general public doesn’t know or care what the difference is, but as artists, even if we aren’t printmakers, shouldn’t we be trying to educate, or shouldn’t we at least make an effort to call things by their correct name? Would anyone call a photocopy a photograph? Yet that is what we are doing when we call reproductions "prints". OK, now I am starting to sound preachy. I guess it was the way I was brought up. It’s not a Frigidaire unless the label on it says it is. The same for Kleenex! And I believe a public who is educated about art will appreciate it more, and will take this into consideration when they have an art purchasing decision to make. Thanks for listening. I hope you learned something today. And if you did, spread the word! And if you are curious, here is a place to start to learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printmaking
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
|