Printmaking

Woodcut

“Nightvision” by Penck 1982
Woodcut was the perfect choice for A.R. Penck’s Nightvision as the effect of the roughly cut away wood hightened Pencks tribal-like figures. These primitive stick figures of the piece are derived from a personal system of symbols and signs that embody a message of commonality. The thick, angular lines created by the figures in addition to the patterns that surround them would have been very hard to create with other techniques such as etching and lithography. In fact, the unrefined aesthetic of the piece is commonly associated with woodcuts. 

Etching

“The Skull” by Otto Dix 1924

Skulls have always been used in the past as messages of wartime. Dix’s Skull is a gruesome image of decay and worms investing a human skull, which is meant to symbolize the indescribable horrors of the first World War. The details of the piece are qualities that are often attributed with etchings. These details and precision are achieved by the fine tools that are used to incise the designs on metal plates and would have been extrememly hard to do with woodcarving, where the grain of the wood might not permit it, or lithography, which would have left much room for error.

Lithography

“Profile of Light” by Redon 1886

Lithographs are known for their similarities to drawings themselves and are one of the most direct methods of printmaking. This is due to the process behind this technique. Instead of using a specific tool in a subtractive manner, lithographs are drawings in either crayons or tusche on polished slabs of limestone or metal. Many artists find this method preferable for a variety of reasons like Rodin who appreciated lithography’s proximity to drawing and the deep, mysterious blacks it can produce as seen in Profile of Light. This drawing-like quality is seen in the headpiece of the woman and in the lines of her face.

Serigraph

“Brushstroke” Roy Lichtenstein 1965

This hard-edged image was one of a series of paintings depicting enlarged brushstrokes that Lichtenstein created in 1965-1966. This series was created to make a direct comment on the elevated content and loaded brushwork of Abstract Expressionism. This piece is very clearly a screen print as evident in not only the clean, and sharp lines of the ‘brushstroke’ but in the bold areas of solid color. These qualities would have not been as easily produced through other techniques such as lithography and etching.