What is Printmaking?

Printmaking is the art process of etching an image or words into a material, and then staining it with ink. The ink is then extracted from the etches in the material, while the raised surface remains stained. This is mainly the process for relief printmaking. Printmaking is an important art form, because it has existed for many centuries. The woodcut form of printmaking originated in China, in 105 CE. Therefore, this type of art is important and must be preserved in the modern day, so that such an old art process is not lost. Printmaking is not only important due to its survival through many centuries, but also because it became revolutionary. During the Industrial Revolution and the German Renaissance, printmaking came about and influenced many artists. It helped in the industrial revolution in general, because it was a way to make prints or copies with 90% less force. And, it aided artists in the German Renaissance because they were able to replicate their wonderful works of art in a relatively simple way. Overall, printmaking became such an important, influential, and revolutionary art process.

​I notice the strong feeling of duality and family seen in this image, presenting two cats that have a familiar connection. I wonder if the artist intended to have the cats contrast in color, because the darker one seems to not have as much comfort and happy emotion as the lighter one does. What if this light and dark was presented as good and bad being able to coincide? This image is so dynamic because it makes me ask a lot of questions about the artists' intentions, which makes me feel like this is a very interesting piece of art. I also find it interesting that the artist presented light and dark coinciding with nature around them, showing that in the real world, such as in nature, good and bad live together in harmony. There is a lot of harmony, contrast, duality, texture and emotion seen through this piece, which makes it aesthetically pleasing to me.