The Art of Printmaking

Woodcut

The first printmaking technique is called woodcut and a great example of it is The Gods (Te Atua) of the series Noa Noa by Gauguin in 1893. Woodcut is a form of relief printmaking and is the oldest kind which is a characteristic technique of the ancient Chinese culture and they are made by cutting along the flat surface of wood with a knife. The work of art has dimension and the dark and light areas give an exotic feel. 

Etching

The second printmaking method is called etching and an example of it is Note I by Cy Twombly in 1967. Etching is done by applying minimal pressure and a chemical process does most of the work. The matrix is placed in an acid bath to reveal the result. The art piece looks like an old letter due to the delicate lines on the colored paper.

Lithography

The next method is lithography and the work of art called Young Couple by Emil Nolde in 1913 portrays it accurately. In lithography, the matrix is flat and it is a surface process. The artist uses a crayon to draw the image on a flat stone and afterwards, a solution of nitric acid is applied to complete the design. Nolde used three of four stones to add dimension and a variation of colors to his work which is common for lithography. 

Serigraphy

The last printmaking technique is called serigraphy or screen print and an example of it is Untitled by Bridget Riley in 1964. The art piece is black and white and the artist is known for her optical effects. Serigraphy is performed with stencils and sometimes with silk or nylon stretched on a frame and paint or ink is forced through with a squeegee.  

Drawings of Greek Mythology

 Drawings of Greek Mythology 

The theme of this exhibition is Greek mythology and each drawing presented portrays a particular god, goddess or ancient mythological creature. The word mythology comes from the Greek words “mythos” meaning story of the people and “logos” which means word or speech. Mythology is a collection of fictional stories that usually have a moral and convey strong messages. 

The first drawing is Eos and Tithonus before Zeus by Peter von Cornelius in 1820-1821. The drawing has been made with charcoal on paper, which is pieces of burnt wood and was used by our ancestors to draw on cave walls. Charcoal is a dry medium, it can be sharpened with sandpaper and it can be hard or soft depending on the desired effect. Charcoal drawings needs to be sprayed with a varnish to keep them from smudging. Charcoal is a drawing implement mainly used to create a blurred, shadowy effect.  Eos was the goddess of the dawn , Tithonus was Eos's lover and Zeus was the god of the sky and he ruled the Olympian gods. The drawing technique is characteristic of the medium because the artist has created soft lines with the charcoal with intense shading wherever needed. The smudged effect of the charcoal gives the drawing an ancient, dreamy effect which adds to the mythological story. The ARTstor generated ID is 29833 ART414128. 

     The second drawing is called Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion by Rubens, Peter Paul, Sir in 1577-1640. The drawing has been made with black chalk, red chalk, gouaches and watercolors. Chalk is a dry medium and it has a similar effect as charcoal and pastel. Chalk consists of pigment and a binder to be shaped. Despite the several drawing implements used, the red chalk is the most noticeable due to its vibrant color. Hercules was the son of Zeus, he was a hero in Greek mythology and he was known as the strongest man on earth. The Nemean Lion was a legendary creature and in this drawing, Hercules is heroically fighting it. The use of red chalk adds a dramatic effect to the drawing and it intensifies the battle between man and beast.  No ARTstor ID.

     

     This drawing is called Venus Bathing, with Cupid and Psyche by Titian in 1488-1576. The drawing has mostly been made with pen. Ink is a fluid medium and it has been used since ancient times. Pen creates linear drawings with precise details and fine lines. Venus was the goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility. Cupid was the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection and Psyche is the the conscious and unconscious. The use of ink has helped the drawing come to life and the bodies of Venus and Cupid are so realistically detailed, which could not have been done with charcoal. No ARTstor ID. 

     This drawing is called The Call to Arms by Rimmer, William in 1816-1879. The drawing has been made with pencil which is a dry medium and it replaced silverpoint. A pencil is made out of a thin rod of graphite within wood or paper. The softness and hardness of a pencil depend of the amount of clay used to make it. Pencil is ideal for details, shading and easy erasing. William Rimmer is known for his precise drawings of human anatomy. Here he has drawn several nude men, possibly warriors or gods from ancient Greece, with very detailed bodies. The human body needs to be drawn with all of its details and lines which is why the use of pencil is appropriate for this drawing. No ARTstor ID. 

Methodologies of Art

The painting Interior with a Dordrecht Family (1656)  by the Dutch painter Nikolaes Maes (1634-1693) from the Norton Simon Museum with oil on canvas has an underlying meaning of femininity and gender roles. The painting is a family portrait and the father is relatively distant and isolated from his wife and children and his right hand is placed on his chest which symbolizes his marital commitment according to Maes. The father also has a strong stance and seems to be the breadwinner and decision maker of the family. On the other side of the painting, the mother is sitting down with her baby on her lap which can possibly interpreted as a sign of vulnerability and she is very close to her other two children which shows the unbreakable bond and nurturing relationship she shares with her young. Maes has also indirectly connected the mother to the other two children with the fruit basket and the older child’s hand reaching forward which creates the visual of a link. According to Maes, the basket of fruit refers to the children being the fruits of marriage. Despite the tight bond the painting portrays, the lack of emotional and physical connection of the father with the children in comparison with the mother is very noticeable. 

The strong maternal bond and the lack of direct affection from the father says a lot about women’s roles that time period and how they used to stay at home cleaning, cooking and taking care of their children. In this painting, the family and especially the mother is represented in a very stereotypical way. In the 1960’s, women were starting to enter the workplace and they were beginning to be respected more but they were still being degraded. In the painting, Maes portrays the typical family unit during the 1960’s, emphasizing on the male and female gender roles.