Printmaking

Printmaking is the act of carving an image onto slates,plates or blocks. Then you fill the crevices that you carved, and then places the ink onto to paper or other surfaces. Printmaking allows you to make multiple pictures or designs from one image, its very important because you can use it to make copies. Printmaking inspired the means of printing we have today in newspapers and artwork copies.

Printmaking first began in Egypt in the 15th century, where Egyptians made prints by painting on fabrics. It wasn't until, people in china used stone and wood to carve their prints. Although printmaking did originate in Egypt, china made it more widespread after the invention of paper, other countries followed the Chinese into the world of printmaking. It was believed that Daniel Hopfer officially invented printmaking in the art when he used the style to decorate his armor. Originally printmaking was invented, and used by Chinese scholars read old scripture. Now, there are many different types of printmaking. In relief printmaking you etch your design into a material and it creates a raised surface that the ink won't fill, it is the only printmaking style with a raised surface.  Lithographic printing doesn’t etch a design into its material, in this printing method you use water and oil to make your print. In Mono-printing you can only make lines and images once. Besides those three, there are many other forms of printmaking and art styles involving prints.

Printmaking is revolutionary because, as I said before, It changed the way we mass produce things,  relief printing allows us to copy a print exactly without having to remake the original. It is also is revolutionary because it reinvented the art world, allowing artists to decorate and recreate the work through reusable prints, it inspired modern day tagging and graffiti. Back in the middle ages printmaking was extremely important because it allowed people to make detailed and amazing textiles, for their clothes and other materials. Bringing more life to everyday objects.

The print I chose was Ishiyama Moon by Yoshitoshi. This image shows a woman sitting on a mat on a balcony, she is looking out onto a cool toned mountain landscape. The image is very candid, there is a wall covering part of the woman and the sky. I chose this image because it has a strong contrast, the background is very pale and pastel, while the subjects hair is dark and black. I notice that the artist was very smart with the space they used and the levels they created, the pole is in front of the woman, the woman is in front of the landscape and so forth. This space creates depth. I wonder why the artist chose to include a lantern in the center of the image, I enjoy the aesthetic it creates but it can also throw off the vibe of the image. What if the colors used were harsh and bold, I believe it change the tone of the piece, making it more sinister and less emotional. The pale palette allows the viewer to interpret their own sky and it leaves room for imagination.