Alois Senefelder invented lithography in 1798. The process relies on the fact that water and grease repel one another. Artists were able to draw directly onto a flat stone surface with a greasy ink which was attracted to the dry stone surface and which, in turn, would attracted the printing ink, while the background absorbed water. The area of the surface that was damp repelled the printing ink. This is called a planographic process. Senefelder used the process to print sheet music. It was a process that could be used for book illustrations, artist's prints, packaging, posters etc. Early examplesof artists using lithography may be found in the work of Delacroix and Gericault. Book and magazine illustration, in the nineteenth century, was mainly remained areas that continued to be dominated by wood engraving. There are some examples of lithography being used to produce sumptuous colour illustrations. Among the most famous of these is The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones (1856). Digby Wyatt, who assisted Jones produced his own ornamental work in the Art of Illuminating in 1860.
Of all the artists who used lithography in the nineteenth century there were only a few who could really exploit the process. Among these were Daumier and Toulouse Lautrec. The introduction of metal plates, which gradually replaced the stones, allowed the process to develop further particulary when combined with the photographic process.
In the twentieth century lithography has replaced most other printing processes for printing on paper.
Artists have continued to use both stones
and
metal plates. In the UK the Curwen Press has been an important
centre for the development of lithography. Many artist, such
as John and Paul Nash and Henry Moore have had there work
printed by Curwen. The press has pioneered the use of the
printing of continuous tone images. Since the printmaking
renaissance instigated by the Tamarind institute and other
print workshops many artists, such as Frank Stella, James
Rosenquist, Jasper Johns have used lithography.
Lithography
| Electron
beam lithography |
Printmaking
: Lithograpy | Large
area lithography |
Selecting
the right paper | Applications
Of Litho Printing | Lithographic
Printing Process
|
