The <strong>Alberta</strong> Foundation for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Art</strong>s Travell<strong>in</strong>g Exhibition Program<strong>Art</strong> Media - Pr<strong>in</strong>t-Mak<strong>in</strong>g cont<strong>in</strong>ued3/ Planographic Techniques <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>t-mak<strong>in</strong>g, which <strong>in</strong>volve <strong>the</strong> methods <strong>of</strong> Lithography andSerigraphy, are <strong>the</strong> most recent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> graphic pr<strong>in</strong>t-mak<strong>in</strong>g techniques. These methods <strong>in</strong>volvesurface pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g where designs are nei<strong>the</strong>r cut <strong>in</strong> relief, as <strong>in</strong> wood cuts or l<strong>in</strong>o cuts, nor engravedas <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>taglio etch<strong>in</strong>g.Lithography, <strong>the</strong> method utilized by Maxwell Bates<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>t Cock and Hen, is a method <strong>of</strong> surfacepr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g from stone. This method <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>tmak<strong>in</strong>g wasdiscovered <strong>in</strong> 1798 by Aloys Senefelder, a Bavarianplaywright who was experiment<strong>in</strong>g with methods <strong>of</strong>duplicat<strong>in</strong>g his plays.In lithography, <strong>the</strong> design is drawn on <strong>the</strong> flat surface<strong>of</strong> a slab <strong>of</strong> special limestone known as lithographicstone. The process is based on <strong>the</strong> antipathy <strong>of</strong>grease and water. The artist draws his design witha greasy <strong>in</strong>k or crayon on <strong>the</strong> stone, which is <strong>the</strong>ntreated with chemical solutions so that <strong>the</strong> greasycontent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> draw<strong>in</strong>g is fixed ‘<strong>in</strong>to’ <strong>the</strong> stone. Wateris <strong>the</strong>n applied to <strong>the</strong> slab. The moisture is repelled by<strong>the</strong> greasy l<strong>in</strong>es but is readlily accepted by <strong>the</strong> rema<strong>in</strong>der<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> porous surface <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> stone. The stone is<strong>the</strong>n rolled with <strong>in</strong>k which adheres only to <strong>the</strong> draw<strong>in</strong>g.A sheet <strong>of</strong> paper is <strong>the</strong>n placed on <strong>the</strong> stone which is<strong>the</strong>n passed through a lithographic press. The <strong>in</strong>keddraw<strong>in</strong>g is transferred, <strong>in</strong> reverse as with all pr<strong>in</strong>ts, to<strong>the</strong> paper. S<strong>in</strong>ce its <strong>in</strong>vention lithography has attractedartists as a means <strong>of</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al expression. S<strong>in</strong>ce all <strong>the</strong>artist <strong>of</strong>ten has to do is draw on a stone (<strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gbe<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong>ten left to a lithographic pr<strong>in</strong>ter), lithography isa very direct and graphic means <strong>of</strong> expression.Serigraphy, or Silk-Screen Pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g, is a moderndevelopment <strong>of</strong> Stencil Pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g. In this method acut stencil is attached to a silk screen <strong>of</strong> f<strong>in</strong>e meshwhich has been stretched on a wooden frame, andcoloured <strong>in</strong>k is forced through <strong>the</strong> unmasked areas<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> screen onto <strong>the</strong> paper beneath by means <strong>of</strong>a squeegee. The process has been widely used forcommericial textile pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g but <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1930s wasdeveloped, particularly <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States, as anartists’ medium for mak<strong>in</strong>g pr<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> broad masses <strong>of</strong>brilliant and opaque colour. In <strong>the</strong> latter part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>20th century this method was ref<strong>in</strong>ed so that actualphotographic images could be utilized <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gra<strong>the</strong>r than creat<strong>in</strong>g a stencil image. This is seen <strong>in</strong>Harry Savages’ pr<strong>in</strong>t, One for <strong>the</strong> Mantle.Maxwell BatesCock and Hen, 1955Lithograph on paperHarry SavageOne for <strong>the</strong> Mantle, 1973Photo-silkscreen on paperAFA Travell<strong>in</strong>g Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479youraga.ca
The <strong>Alberta</strong> Foundation for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Art</strong>s Travell<strong>in</strong>g Exhibition ProgramIll<strong>in</strong>gworth KerrSnow Geese, 1983Orig<strong>in</strong>al L<strong>in</strong>o BlockCollection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Alberta</strong> Foundation for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Art</strong>sVisual Learn<strong>in</strong>g &<strong>Hand</strong>s-On ActivitiesAFA Travell<strong>in</strong>g Exhibition Program, Edmonton, AB Ph: 780.428.3830 Fax: 780.421.0479youraga.ca