An exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art titled “Lasting Impressions: Highlights from the Print Collection” is on display through March 1, featuring works from Everson’s collection of prints. 

 “We hadn’t had a print exhibition in a while, and we thought that this would be a good way to display some of the prints we have,” said Steffi Chappell, assistant curator of the Everson Museum of Art and organizer of the exhibition. 

 Printmaking became popular in the United States in the late 20th century. A few dedicated artists founded print workshops in the 1950s and 1960s, where they taught intaglio — a method of engraving designs — and lithography techniques to artists, according to information displayed in the exhibit. 

 This inspired a new generation of artists who explored the medium and challenged the notion that printmaking was just a form of duplication, the museum statement continues. At the same time, abstract artists began to explore their medium using printing techniques.  

 The exhibit features techniques like screen printing, lithography, etching and aquatint, a form of etching and wood blocks. These are just a few from the museum’s collection of approximately 400 print pieces, Chappell said.  

 Holly Greenberg, associate professor of studio arts in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, says that the most common form of printing making is screen printing. 

 “It involves stretching a thin fabric across a wooden frame. Parts of the fabric are made impervious, creating a stencil,” said Greenberg. “The frame can then be placed on the medium of choice. Ink is then put on the frame and spread across with a squeegee to create the design on paper or canvas below.” 

 Because the process involves going through all the steps for each piece of art, even if they are all replicas of each other, each piece would be considered an original on its own, Greenberg said. Artists either work with a printmaker or spend time learning the technique themselves before they start using the medium on their own.  

 The Everson Museum has many such pieces, often signed by the artists themselves. Chappell said that artists will often sign and date their work along with the edition number.  

 “They often put the edition number on it, which means that it’s going to say 14 out of 75 or maybe 19 out of 75 at the bottom. But that just means that 75 prints or impressions were made, and this was the 14th one,” said Chappell. “Some artists make many pieces, and some will only make a few.”  

 The exhibition features famous artists known for their printmaking techniques, such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Yayoi Kusama, Isabel Bishop, Jasper Johns and Sister Mary Corita Kent. They all come from different eras and use the same medium to communicate different things.  

 “All artists are trying to make different points,” Chappell said. “Andy Warhol, for example, or Roy Lichtenstein were very much into pop culture references. But someone like Isabel Bishop — she was really interested in the figure.” 

 Chappel added that Bishop’s painting showed her interest in women. She was known for her large figure paintings of women in ordinary landscapes or cityscapes. 

 Greenberg said that prints are great for art collectors who may not have as much money or may not have enough knowledge about art. 

 “These prints would cost only about $1,000 as opposed to the $30,000 or $40,000 a regular piece of art would cost,” Greenberg said. “It is a good place to start from, and then work your way around as you learn more about art and what you want and like.”  

Published on February 25, 2020 at 11:57 pm