Fine-Art Print Making – a definition of the term.
There are three misconceptions attached to prints:
- That prints are mere copies taken from an original painting and, therefore, have little artistic value.
- The word ‘print’ conjures up images of an inky fingered editor at a press, watching hundreds of identical copies floating to the floor.
- The word ‘print’ is seen as a generic term to define anything from holiday snaps or a poster to a fine etching by Picasso.
The term ‘original print’ has, thus, become a confusing concept and often begs the question if prints have the right to command a niche in the art market.
The first thing to understand is that an artist does not make a print from an original painting. She/he conceives and executes it as an original piece. This generally involves one or more of the classic printmaking techniques like lithography (stone or plate), intaglio processes (i.e. etching, aquatint, engraving, Mezzotint, collagraph, drypoint), relief printing like lino- and woodcut, screen-printing and mono-print, digital manipulation (e.g. indigo printing, iris-prints & Durst Lamda Prints). The artist cuts, draws, engraves or otherwise creates the image. Her/his intention is not to reproduce an original work but to create a new one.
It is important to make the distinction that when an original painting is copied it is called a reproduction and not an original print and is, basically, no more than a high quality poster. To make an original print takes an enormous amount of skill and time. Each print requires individual attention. Each colour and tone requires manual input onto individual plates or screens. A Herculean task when one considers, for example, a 42-colour screen-print. For this reason artists employ a printer who works in collaboration with the artist. Original prints demand the highest skill, which explains why they are expensive and sought after. For example, a lithography in excellent condition by Toulouse-Lautrec or a rare Picasso linocut can fetch up to £180,000 at Christies or Sothebys. Some prints are limited editions of 10, 20, 50 even 100 copies, which does not make them less valuable, only more accessible. It is always worth taking a second look ( quoted from the essay "Print Definition" by Kate Pierrepont, 2003)