Prints

A general category for works, typically on paper, that consist of an impressed or stamped image. Printmaking incorporates a large number of techniques and processes, such as etching, engraving, intaglio, woodcut, and more recently, various photomechanical processes. The art form has a long and rich history in numerous artistic traditions. Woodblock printing is believed to have been invented in China in the seventh century and to have spread to Korea and Japan in the following centuries. In the West, devotional woodcut prints appeared beginning in the early 15th century in northern Europe. Since then, prints have been used to numerous ends, from Antonio Pollaioulo’s exploration of the nude form in motion to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Parisian nightlife posters and Francisco de Goya’s "Caprichos", which indicted the follies of European society. Contemporary artists like Wade Guyton continue to experiment with new forms of printmaking.