What is Printmaking

Printmaking has been a form of art for thousands of years.
Lithography was invented by Bavarian author Aloys Senefelder in 1796 but printmaking itself originated in China after paper was invented around AD 105. Another type of printmaking is relief printing.Relief printing is done with carving while other printings are done on the surface.It is less modern because paper was invented a little bit after relief printing. Other methods include things like oil and water which is more complicated than relief printing. Printmaking was a revolutionary invention because It allowed people to make copies of art and have access to move it around.And also allowed for the creation of high-quality printed books. A huge factor in the establishment of a community of scientists who could easily communicate their discoveries through widely disseminated scholarly journals.


Here is an example of printmaking that was made in Japan...
Screenshot 2018-04-27 at 10.14.28 AM
Screenshot 2018-04-27 at 10.14.28 AM
This print was made by Hiroshige, the last Japanese master printer in the 19th century and died in 1858. This piece of art is presenting an ocean with huge waves about to wash the boats with people of both ends of the boats. I feel like this is very proportional to the colors. The background is a black and white with a small looking mountain but there is an ocean in front of it. It seems that the ocean was added to bring in life and color which might symbolize the importance of oceans in the Japanese culture. This is a very creative way to express complimenting colors and there might even be a story behind this print.


I Notice...

- Printmaking can be done in colors; there aren't many rules on how it should be.

-They tell stories in one captured moment.


I Wonder...

- How the inventor got this idea of printmaking

- If printmaking was harder to do then than now due to fewer resources

- What people used before printmaking

​What If...

- People created a technique different from printmaking in more modern ways. Would people be just as hype about it?

-Where printmaking was made was made in a different location with a different culture.

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