Frenchfourch [1]
Frenchfourch, established in 2007, is a studio and an independent publishing house based in Paris, France. They manufacture books, posters and T-shirts as well as organize art exhibitions. Their goal is to highlight the young, flourishing talented scene of French, European and world graphic artists. Over the course of their projects, they have become editors and thus printers, or more precisely, screen printers. They define themselves as ink afficionados as they love paper, handmade objects and moreover, attention to detail. Screen printing is a semi-artisanal technique, whose final product can vary from the textured to the precise.
Bastonnade. Screen print (2013).
Printmaking can intervene in any part of a manufacturing process. It can adapt to everything. It offers an unequaled quality of flattened colors and transcription that can print any kind of image. Every new project for Frenchfourch is a chance to develop their own research, and ask new questions to investigate. Their most recent screen-printing project, 'Bastonnade,' is a road trip in seven countries, showcasing hugh screen-printed posters as well as featuring a new installation within a new collective in each city.
Bastonnade, Paris. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade, Shanghai. Screen prints (2013).
Artists: Antoine Caecke, Hicham Amrani, Daniel Abensour, Vincent Godeau, 910D, Olivier Koa Cramm, Ludmilla Cerveny, Mathieu Desjardin, Adrian Forrow, Emmanuel Kerner - Naço in Shanghai.
Happy New Year. Screen print (2013).
Artists: Valfret Banzai, Adrian Forrow, Sébastien Touache, Tristan Pernet, Pol Edouard Flores, Tamas Pal, Ludmilla Cerveny, Simon Thompson, Franck Pellegrino, Alexandre Centazzo and Céline Guichard.
Suck. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade Budapest. Screen print (2013).
Artists: Nicolas Barrome, Antoine Caeke, Clément Vuillier, Diane Bolvin, and Alex Chiu (Design Terminal, Budapest).
Bastonnade, ZERO. Screen print (2012).
Reference [1]
[1] People of Print, Thames Hudson Ltd (2017).
Preamble
For your convenience I have listed below other posts in this series on Chinese textiles:
Chinese Textiles: Amy Clague's Brocade Collection - Part I
Chinese Textiles: Amy Clague's Tapestry Collection - Part I
Chinese Textiles: Amy Clague’s Tapestry Collection - Part II
Chinese Textiles: Amy Clague’s Embroidery Collection - Part I
Chinese Textiles: Amy Clague’s Brocade Collection - Part II
Chinese Clothing: A Historical Overview - Part I
Chinese Clothing: Shenyi and Broad Sleeves - Part I
Chinese Clothing: Shenyi and Broad Sleeves - Part II
Chinese Clothing: A Historical Overview - Part II
Chinese Clothing: A Historical Overview - Part II [1]
By the time of the Song Dynasty (920-1279), the Han women had developed the tradition of chest-binding, resulting in the rise of popularity of the elegant, cloak-like garment named, beizi. It was favored by men and women of all ages and all social backgrounds.
Beizi (Chinese: 褙子; pinyin: bèizi), also known as beizi (Chinese: 背子; pinyin: bēizi) and chuozi (Chinese: 綽子; pinyin: chuòzi), is traditional Chinese attire commonly worn by both men and women; it was typically a large loose outer coat with loose and long sleeves. The beizi originated in the Song dynasty. It was most popular during the Song dynasty, Ming dynasty, and from the early Qing to the Mid-Qing dynasty. In the Ming dynasty, the beizi was called pī fēng (披風). When worn by men, it is sometimes referred as changyi (氅衣), hèchǎng (鹤氅; 'crane cloak'), or dachang (大氅) when it features large sleeves and knotted ties at the front as a garment closure.
The Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) was established by the Mongols when they unified China. The Mongols at that time wore mao li, or triangular hats, and men often wore earrings. The official dress code became a mixture of Han and Mongol styles.
A modern version of the triangular hat.
The clothing worn by the Mongols in the 13th and 14th century CE, like most other aspects of their culture, reflected their nomadic lifestyle in the often harsh climate of the Asian steppe. Typical items included felt hats, long jackets with loose sleeves, and practical baggy trousers. As the Mongol army was based on fast-moving, lightly armed cavalry, recruiters usually had a relaxed 'come-as-you-are' approach to uniforms so that clothes in both war and peace were often very similar. Heavy cavalry units did wear armour made from padded materials, hardened leather and pieces of metal. Many of the Mongol clothes of the medieval period are still worn by nomadic peoples today across Eurasia.
Mongolian Deel Robe.
When power again transferred to the Han people, the rulers of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) created laws prohibiting the previous dynasty's Mongol language, surnames and clothing, resulting in a return to the dress style of the Tang Dynasty. The official uniform of the Ming Dynasty was intended to reflect a sense of dignity and splendor, as is demonstrated by the complex forms, styles and dressing rituals of the emperor and officials of all levels.
”Ming” means brightness. The name was chosen by the first Ming Emperor as a contrast to the dark period in which the dynasty came to power. The Ming Dynasty was a time of economic growth and cultural splendor which produced the first direct commercial contacts with the West. During much of the Ming dynasty, China and India together accounted for more than half of the world's gross national product. Estimates for the late-Ming population vary from 160 to 200 million.
The color of clothes also changed from a single blue color to more rich colors, and the style of robes became longer and longer, some even covered the feet, especially the sleeves were very fat and wide. Hanfu in Ming Dynasty had the following characteristics:
(i) The official and men's clothing in the Ming Dynasty were mainly round-necked, which was one of the measures to restore the Han clothing. The round-necked gown in the Song Dynasty was replaced by the minority culture in Liao, Xia, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties.
(ii) Zhu Yuanzhang advocated the restoration of Han characteristics in the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, round-necked robes were prescribed in the form of clear text. It was worn by emperors, ministers, literati, and rich businessmen of all levels, but the pattern and color were different.
(iii) Buzi on the official uniform. The system of "Buzi (补子)" is clearly defined. Before the Ming Dynasty, in terms of the patterns on the official uniforms, the twelve Wenzhang was used to distinguish the emperor and his ministers.
(iv) In the Tang Dynasty, the prototype of "Buzi" appeared. In the Ming Dynasty, in addition to the emperor, prince, and nobility, officials also continued to enjoy the twelve-chapter pattern. In addition, the clothing of civil and military officials was replaced by "Buzi" with the pattern of birds and animals, which distinguished the official positions since then.
Clothing worn by religious figures during the Ming Dynasty in China (1368-1644).
In the Ming Dynasty, a series of measures were taken to develop production, which made industry and commerce develop continuously, and the production technology of each industry had improved. After the rise of the citizen class, the aesthetic interest had become the aesthetic orientation of the general dress. "Secularization" of the aesthetic and cultural sources and a relatively general, casual, and loose historical and cultural environment was created. At the beginning of Ming Dynasty, most people used cloth to make robes, but later, many people did not use cloth, but used silk and other gorgeous fabric cuts.
The Qing Dynasty, lasting over 200 years (1644-1911), was a period which saw significant changes in clothing style. The rulers tried to force Manchurian dress style on the Han people, but this was met with strong resistence. A later compromise by government led to a combination of the two dress styles. The mandarin long gown (changpao) and jacket (magua) was the quintessential Qing style.
The images below are pictures taken in the Confucius Museum Chinese Hanfu, which are ancient silk fabric relics from the Ming Dynasty.
Reference:
[1] Chinese Clothing, H. Mei, Cambridge University Press (2011).
Preamble
For your convenience, I have listed below other post on Japanese textiles on this blogspot.
Discharge Thundercloud
The Basic Kimono Pattern
The Kimono and Japanese Textile Designs
Traditional Japanese Arabesque Patterns - Part I
Textile Dyeing Patterns of Japan
Traditional Japanese Arabesque Patterns - Part II
Sarasa Arabesque Patterns
Contemporary Japanese Textile Creations
Shibori (Tie-Dying)
History of the Kimono
A Textile Tour of Japan - Part I
A Textile Tour of Japan - Part II
The History of the Obi
Japanese Embroidery (Shishu)
Japanese Dyed Textiles
Aizome (Japanese Indigo Dyeing)
Stencil-Dyed Indigo Arabesque Patterns
Japanese Paintings on Silk
Tsutsugaki - Freehand Paste-Resist Dyeing
Street Play in Tokyo
Birds and Flowers in Japanese Textile Designs
Japanese Colors and Inks on Paper From the Idemitsu Collection
Yuzen: Multicolored Past-Resist Dyeing - Part I
Yuzen: Multi-colored Paste-Resist Dyeing - Part II
Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) - Part I
Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) - Part II
Katazome (Stencil Dyeing) - Part III
Birds and Flowers in Japanese Textile Designs - Part I
Introduction
The Japanese appreciation of nature is reflected in its long history and tradition of textile design. Expressions of nature in textile motifs and patterns, are in fact, fundamental to the Japanese concept of design.
The use of a black background in Japanese textile design with bird motifs serves both aesthetic and symbolic purposes, including creating high contrast, signifying elegance and formality, and reflecting philosophical insights.
Aesthetic Reasons
(i) High Contrast: A deep, rich black background (known as kuro) makes the detailed, often colorful, bird motifs "pop out" to the viewer, ensuring they are the focal point of the design.
(ii) Focus on Detail: The stark contrast forces the viewer's eye to concentrate on the intricate patterns, feather textures, and delicate lines of the birds and surrounding elements (like plants or water ripples), highlighting the artist's craftsmanship.
(iii) Depth and Vitality: While the background may be dark and seemingly empty, the vibrant subjects evoke a strong sense of life and vitality against the dark expanse, giving the scene depth and dynamism.
Symbolic and Cultural Reasons
(i) Formality and Elegance. Black is highly regarded as a color of formality, sophistication, and elegance in Japanese culture, used for important ceremonial robes like the kurotomesode kimono worn at formal events. A black background bestows a sense of dignity and prestige upon the textile.
(ii) Authority and Power. Historically, black was associated with the samurai class and represented authority, strength, and a commanding presence.
(iii) Philosophical and Poetic Meaning. In Japanese art forms like calligraphy and ink painting (sumi-e), black ink is used to express strong emotions and philosophical insights through simplicity and contrast. This aesthetic carries over to textiles.
(iv) Association with the Unknown/Mystery. While having positive associations, black can also represent mystery, the unknown, and the transient nature of life, which can add a layer of poetic depth to the natural imagery.
Birds and Flowers in Japanese Textile Designs - Part I [1]
Reference:
[1] Mamoru Fujioka, The Best in International Textile Design, Japanese Style, Textile Dyeing Patterns 4, Kyoto Shoin (1989).
Preamble
This is the fifty-fourth post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
Blue Pigments - Part III
Green Pigments - Part I
Green Pigments - Part II
Red Pigments - Part I
Red Pigments - Part II
Yellow Pigments - Part I
Yellow Pigments - Part II
Brown and Violet Pigments
Black Pigments
White Pigments - Part I
White Pigments - Part II
White Pigments - Part III
Inert Pigments
Permanence of Pigments: New Pigments - Part I
Permanence of Pigments: New Pigments - Part II
Limited or Restricted Palettes
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Limited or Restricted Palettes [1]
Although it is possible to produce a fairly useful range of hues with mixtures of black, white, and the three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, we find that, owing to the various qualitities of the substances we use as pigments, there are many specific color effects which can be obtained only by employing a multiplicity of pigments. Depending upon the desired color key or tonal harmony of the painting as a whole, a complete range of colors can sometimes be effected with a very limited palette, but usually a free choice of pigments is required. Whether the desired result be harmony, contrast, monotony, harsh brilliance, or softness, it is not obtained by merely matching the local colors of nature, but rather by translating, transposing, or manipulating the tones and colors within the chosen key. A spot of color, which in one painting is garish and brilliant, might be a dull blight on another picture.
Here are a few different limited color palettes that can achieve a broad range of color mixtures. The palette is determined by the chromatic qualities of each primary. This palette is chosen due to the intensity of the yellow, needing a hue that can reach the particular range in the image.
The choice of pigments is entirely a matter of the individual's purpose and intentions. It may be guided by the requirements of the school of painting to which the artist adheres to, but it must be controlled by understanding of the properties and potentialities of the pigments, each of which requires some study and experience.
The Zorn palette is a limited palette of four colors—Vermilion, Ivory Black, Yellow Ochre, and Flake White—used by Swedish painter Anders Zorn. This palette simplifies color mixing, allowing artists to focus on tonal value, composition, and achieving greater color harmony and balance, as it relies on mixing these four pigments to create a wide range of colors. The black is used as a substitute for blue and is crucial for creating muted tones and shadows.
If a painter limits himself/herself to one red and choses light cadium, he/she will be able to approximate tones of the duller earth reds with mixtures, but he/she must forgo tints and glazes that alizarin will produce. If the painter has both light cadmium red and alizarin she/he can match the deeper cadmium reds, but if she/he has only a medium or deep cadmium red, the painter cannot produce the bright vermillion shades, and mixtures with yellow will produce only muddy approximations. The number of greens, both vivid and subdued, that can be made by utlizing all the permanent green, blue, and yellow pigments is unlimited; no painter could possibly want all of them in a single landscape. Yet an arbitary limitation to too few pigments - for example, to one yellow instead of two - will obviously handicap the painter in most instances.
San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk by Claude Monet.
Claude Monet used a limited palette of around nine colors, which included cadmium yellow and cadmium yellow light, particularly after achieving commercial success in the 1880s. He did not limit himself to just one color, but his palette was restricted compared to some other artists.
A pale or lemon yellow pigment (such as light cadmium yellow or strontium yellow) is so different from golden yellows (like cadmium yellow medium or deep) that on a working palette they behave like two different pigments rather than two shades of the same color, especially when they are used in mixtures to create greens, oranges, etc. The average palette, therefore, usually requires two bright yellows instead of one. The differences between the medium and the deep cadmium yellows, however, are not nearly so significant; indeed, the medium of some brands is the same or nearly the same as the deep of others, and so these two could be much more accurately considered as different shades of the same color.
Cadium Yellow Light.
Cadium Yellow Medium.
Cadium Yellow Deep.
Some painters attach great importance to the convenience of having a range or scale of hues with no wide areas in between, so that clear, brilliant, ready-for-use colors are available; others prefer to work with as few colors as possible. The artist is guided, in this respect, by the nature of the work at hand.
Yves Klein worked with the fewest colors, famously using a single, vibrant blue known as International Klein Blue (IKB) in his monochrome works. Other artists, like Piet Mondrian, also used a limited palette, but Klein's deliberate and radical choice of just one color across many works is what makes him stand out in this regard.
Artist and Title: Yves Klein, Anthropometry of the Blue Period (ANT 82), 1960.
Technique and Materials: Pure pigment and synthetic resin on paper laid down on canvas.
Size: 61 3/5 × 111 1/5 in | 156.5 × 282.5 cm.
Aside from the easy portability of the minimum color-note outfit, the most legitimate technical reason for limitation of a palette is that painting with too great an assortment of ready-made color effects result in a defect similar to that produced by over manipulation or by the use of tiny, "picky" brushwork. referred to elsewhere in these art resource posts. Students are taught to work with few colors as a method of discipline, just as they are taught to work with large brushes, but the arbitary elimination of useful colors is an unnecessary handicap to mature painters.
An average normal working palette for use an individual painting would consist of twelve to fourteen colors. Less than a dozen would be a simplified palette and more than fourteen can be called an elaborate palette.
Hue Tolerance
In a previous blog post, reference was made to the rating or quality of the various brands of artists' colors on the market. Among the best grades of paints, we find definite variations in color effects; for example, the burnt sienna of one manufacturer will be a deep, translucent mahogany hue, and another, equally fine and pure, may be distinctly paler and more opaque.
In establising the American Paint standard the committee studied the question of establishing a set of hue limitations for each pigment but finally did not include such restrictions in the Standard, because the judgement of the manufacturer on what constitutes a medium or deep cadmium yellow or the difference between "good" or "bad" raw number, for example, is based on the manufacturer's experience and also upon its acceptance by their customers, for artists always have their individual preferences in these matters. Furthermore, the colorimetric specifications for tinting strength act as controls, because if the pigment is too far from the true example of its prototype, it will not meet the performance of this test.
Munsell arbitrarily divided the hue circle into 100 steps of equal visual change in hue, with the zero point at the beginning of the red sector, as shown in the above figure. Hue may be identified by the number from 0 to 100, as shown in the outer circle. This may be useful for statistical records, cataloging and computer programming. However, the meaning is more obvious if the hue is identified by the hue sector and the step, on a scale of ten, within that sector. For example, the hue in the middle of the red sector is called “five red”, and is written “5R.” (The zero step is not used, so there is a 10R hue, but no 0 YR.) This method of identifying hue is shown on the inner circle.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
Preamble
For your convenience I have listed the other posts in this series:
Traditional Indian Textiles - Part I
Traditional Indian Textiles - Part II
Traditional Indian Textiles - Part III
Introduction [1]
The production of sophisticated textiles within the Indian subcontinent has prehistoric origins. Yet though we are spoilt with riches from other cultures with a less fecund weaving history - from the ancient Central Asian and pre-Columbian weavers and embroiderers, for instance, whose work has been stored in the cryogenically sealed tombs of Siberian Altai, or the desecrated burial troves of the Peruvian coastal desert, tragically none of the wealth of ancient Indian textile manufacture has survived. In fact, the unpredictable patterns of the extremes of alternate wet and dry climate have ensured that only a few fragments of bio-degradable woven plant and animal fiber remain to help us chart, with any degree of accuracy, the history of Indian textiles. This lack of tangible evidence is counterbalanced, in part, by an abundance of archaelogical finds and literacy references that have, at times, transported the quest for analytical and accurate data into a world of delightful myths and legends that are much more in the keeping with the mystical and religious qualitities still associated with traditional Indian textiles.
Sinarth Brahmins wearing 'dhotis' (loin cloths). One holds a 'gaumukhi' - an embroidered glove, which contains the sacred prayer beads.
North Indian portrait of a man and boy proudly wearing Kashmir shawls with resist-dyed turbans.
Rajasthani women, dressed in richly decorated traditional garb: a brocade 'odhni' (shawl) with 'mashru' border: and (right) a 'bandhani' (tie-and-dye) odhni.
Traditional Indian Textiles - Part III [1]
Left section of a nineteenth-century pattern sample cloth, intended for the Siamese market, from Gujarat.
Right section of the above nineteenth-century pattern sample cloth.
Left section of Ikat cotton length from Pochampalli, near Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Right section of the above Ikat cotton length from Pochampalli, near Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Brocade silk and metal threaded stole from Varanasi.
Detail of a single-ikat yardage made of wild silk yarn, from Nuapatna, Orissa.
'Toran' (doorway hanging).
Reference:
[1] Traditional Indian Textiles, John Gillow and Nicholas Barnard, Thams and Hudson, London (1993) ISBN 0-500-27709-5.
Margaret Preston, aged 19, in 1894.
Source: National Gallery of Australia.
Margaret Preston and Printmaking [1]
A study of Margaret Preston's changing interest in printmaking reflects, to a large extent, the development of this form of art in Australia. Preston was an art student in the 1890s, during the rise of the Painter-Etchers movement in Australia.
Note: The Australian Painter-Etchers' Society was established in 1921 and was first headed by Lionel Lindsay, who became its first president. The movement was inspired by the European "painter-etcher" revival of the 19th century, a trend of artists creating prints as original works of art.
Lionel Lindsay (around 1900s).
In 1923, shortly after her return from Europe, Preston showed woodcuts in her first exhibition devoted to this medium in this country. She was also one of the first Australian artists to exhibit screenprints and to experiment in stencil printing, and was instrumental in fostering a renewed interest in this monotype process.
Margaret Preston, Rocks in Roper River (1953).
Courtesy: National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra.
By the 1950s and early 1960s, printmaking was experiencing somewhat of a revival in Australia. In 1963, the year of Preston's death, the first large-scale exhibition of contemporary Australian prints was organized to tour the capital cities. Appropriately, it included one of Margaret Preston's later prints.
Etching [1]
In 1876, one year after Preston's birth, the French immigrant artist EL Montefiore (1820-1894) read a paper on 'Etchings and Etchers' to the Fine Art Section of the Royal Art Society of New South Wales (Australia). He pointed out that rather than producing existing works of art, '...the central idea of etching was the free expression of artistic thought...free and spontaneous.'
French immigrant artist EL Montefiore (1820-1894).
During the next decade, with artists conscious of etching's new potential, many Australian renowned artists experimented with the technique. For example, Tom Roberts (1856-1931), Arthur Streeton (1867-1943) and Julian Ashton (1851-1942) were taught the rudiments of etching in Sydney (Australia) by American-trained artist Livingston Hopkins (1846-1927), while in Melbourne (Australia) John Mather (1853-1940) and Louis Abrahams (1852-1903) were early practitioners of this form of printing.
Portrait of Abrahams by Tom Roberts (1886).
Courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia.
In June 1891, the recently appointed advisor to the National Gallery of Victoria, the painter and printmaker, Professor Hubert Herkomer (1849-1914), requested permission from the Gallery trustees to collect '...a series of masterly etchings...I think it a most beautiful art that should be represented in every gallery.'
Consequently, at the London sale of British artist Seymour Haden's famous collection of old-master prints in June 1891, the gallery purchased prints by Rembrandt (1606-1669), Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), and Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641). The following year works by contemporary artist Max Klinger (1857-1920), Seymour Haden (1818-1910) and James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) were added to their collection. These formed the basis of the Gallery's notable print collection. These prints were exhibited prominently at the gallery, when Preston was a student at their associated Art School.
Magaret Preston, Wheelflower, ca. 1929 (detail).
Hand-colored woodblock print.
Courtesy of National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (cat. no. 140).
After seeing this collection, John Shirlow (1869-1936), a fellow student of Preston's in 1893 and 1895, built his own etching press and equipment, and by 1895 was exhibiting his etchings. During the next five years, Ernest Moffitt (1870-1899), Lionel Lindsay (1874-1971) and Victor Cobb (1876-1945) also produced etchings.
In the nineteenth century, there was a greater awareness of printmaking in South Australia than in other Australian states. Adelaide's second mayor, Thomas Wilson, had been a keen collector of prints from England, and in 1857 had lectured on the need for a collection in the young colony. George Reynolds, a council member of the South Australian Society of Arts, frequently exhibited etchings in the Society's shows. Preston would have seen his exhibitions, and probably attended his lecture titled, 'Etching,' which was given to the Society on May 3 1898.
However, Preston apparently did not try her hand at etching in Australia. Like most other Australian artists of her generation, she did not experiment in this process until she lived in Europe where instruction, facilities and materials were more readily available. This was also the experience of fellow students at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School, namely, Portia Geach (1873-1959) and Dora Meeson (1869-1955), and of Eirene Mort (1879-1977), Ethel Carrick (1872-1952) and E Hilde Rix Nicholas (1184-1961) - all of whom learnt the technique in Europe.
Margaret Preston, Bonmahon, Ireland (ca. 1916).
Technique: Drypoint etching.
Courtesy of Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney (cat. no. 1).
Preston was taught etching in England. So popular was the process that almost all of the major art schools included the subject in their curriculum, and moreover, many artists gave private tuition lessons on this technique. Preston may have been taught the technique at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts (London), where she learnt pottery in 1916.
Only five of Preston's etchings are recorded. One dated 1916, is of an indeterminate landscape; another is of the village of Bonmahon in Ireland; three represent the picturesque hamlet of Bibury in southern Gloucestershire.
The old mill, Bibury Court Farm, Bibury (circa 1916).
These prints appear to have been worked up from sketches, and were probably all produced at an art school, when the artist was learning the process; this is suggested by the fact that most of the prints are inscribed with a description of their technique, rather than with a title. Two of the works are drypoint etchings; two are soft-ground etchings; and one is a hard-ground etching, known in two impressions and printed with differing degrees of plate tone.
A clue to contemporary influences on Preston's etchings (and on that of English artists in general) may be found in the advice she gave her student Edith Collier (1885-1964) in 1918: "...Look at the Rembrandt etchings at the Library or Museum; for Whistler, I think South Kensington might have some; but I think all originals are at the Museum and Tate. Also Goya's -"
None of Preston's etchings are particularly distinguished; all have an "olde world" look. Romantic old stone and thatch buildings, set in rural landscapes, appear unchanged by the industrial revolution or the trappings of the twentieth century. These were popular commericial subjects of a type of etching that proliferated in England until the 1930s. In Australia, a similar style of etching evolved, featuring selected subjects like gum trees and colonial buildings.
On her return to Australia, Preston showed her etchings at an exhibition in Adelaide in 1919, and then Sydney in 1920 and 1921. Unfortunately, they elicited no critical response.
Had Preston wished to continue working with this technique, facilities and teachers were readily available in Sydney (Australia) by 1920. The "Women Painters' School of Fine and Applied Art" taught etching under their principle Eirene Mort, as did Alfred Coffey (1869-1950) in his studio.
By 1920 Preston's friends, Sydney residents, Ure Smith (1887-1949) and Lionel Lindsay (1874 – 1961), had established themselves as fine practitioners in this field, and in 1920 were instrumental in establishing the Australian Painter-Etchers' Society. The society ran its own school in Sydney in the late 1920s. Preston's lack of interest in developing etching as an option for artistic expression was based on a practical observation, namely that it entailed too much equipment, and so it was not a - 'friendly little craft.'
Reference:
[1] R. Butler, The Prints of Margaret Preston, A Catalogue Raisonné, National Gallery of Australia (2005).
Bastonnade. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade, Paris. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade, Shanghai. Screen prints (2013).
Happy New Year. Screen print (2013).
Suck. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade Budapest. Screen print (2013).
Bastonnade, ZERO. Screen print (2012).
