BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS VOLUME 22 MAY 1918 NUMBER 5 TH THE MAKING OF A LITHOGRAPH HE PRINTS DIVISION has arranged another one in its series of "Making of" exhibitions. This time it is "The Making of a Lithograph" - to remain on view from May to October. As in previous exhibitions, the technique is illustrated by the best examples of the art. That statement implies the display of pictures which are just as much original works of art as are etchings. The very flexibility of the lithographic process, which has caused its remarkably widespread application to commercial ends, also makes it par excellence a vehicle for the artist. It was so used in the early days of its history. Delacroix, the two Isabeys, Raffet, Menzel, are names that occur readily to the mind. Even its application to caricature brought out such a genius as Daumier and the brilliance both graceful and trenchant of Gavarni. The ensuing preponderating use of the medium for business purposes may have served to blind the general public to other possibilities. And that again may have tended to keep artists away. However, within the last thirty years we have seen Whistler's active interest in the process, and some concerted effort in England, France and other countries. More recently our own artists have been taking it up. Lithography is pre-eminently a "painter art." It is a process fairly made for original expression, representing the artist's touch absolutely. It is an autographic art; that is, one which gives a straight reproduction of the artist's drawing with the full impress of his character and mood, displaying his individuality without the intervention of a human translator. [ 291 ] Technically, the lithographic process is a chemical one based on the want of affinity between grease and water. On a stone of a certain constituency a drawing is made with a crayon containing an admixture of grease. When a stone thus prepared is inked for printing, the ink (also of a greasy nature) will adhere only to the drawing and not to the portions of the stone not drawn upon, these portions having been, furthermore, treated with water and acid to increase resistance to the ink. That, in the baldest possible statement, is the basic principle of lithography. The process was born practically full-fledged. Senefelder foresaw all applications of the art, excepting, of course, photo-lithography. Crayon, pen-and-ink, ink washes or rubbing of powdered crayon, combined with the scraper, spatterwork, these various tools and combinations all can be used in this supple, flexible process. And they have been used with full realization of their wide range of possibilities. The history of artistic lithography records achievements of remarkable variety. The artists of the first half of the 19th century rang the changes on its fascinating possibilities, playing its full gamut of tones from the highest notes of silvery gray to the lowest ones of deep velvety black. Horace Vernet, Eugène Isabey, H. P. Bonington, Delacroix, Decamps, Raffet, Géricault, Daumier, Gavarni, were among the masters. of the art in those days. There were also Devéria, Hervier, Barye, Millet, who, besides the "Sower," did the figures for some Indian subjects by Bodmer. And with the later renascence came Fantin-Latour, Whistler, Pennell and others to accentuate farther the remarkable flexibility of this process, its adaptativeness to artistic individuality and style. Interesting comparisons may be made between the evanescent, light crayon shades of Whistler and the deep-toned washed and scraped pictures of complete effect by Menzel; the delicate architectural scenes of Bonington and the rich, resounding notes of certain cathedral pictures by Pennell; the vigorous broad crayoning of Daumier and the gray delicacy of Vernet and other early men; the decided, lively line of Gavarni and the tremulous imagery of Fantin-Latour; the robust realism of Géricault and the rampant romanticism of Delacroix. In color work there may be contrasted the slight suggestions of Whistler, the unctuous, palpitating colors of Lunois ("Absinthe Drinker"), the blare of Ibels, the flat quiet tones of Volkmann or Kallmorgen, the characteristic work of certain Bohemians. Legros, Shannon, Short, Rothenstein, Brangwyn in England, Dillon, Toulouse-Lautrec, Carrière, Besnard, Willette in France, Greiner, Biese in Germany and Austria, are among others abroad who within the last generation have availed themselves of the rich possibilities of lithography. In our own country some interesting attempts were made in the second half of the past century by Thomas Moran, Wm. M. Hunt, H. W. Ranger, C. F. W. Mielatz, H. Bolton Jones, J. Alden Weir. And certain ones among our artists are beginning again to respond to the appeal of this process which offers them so much. Sterner, A. B. Davies, Bolton Brown, Bellows, Sloan, and others have shown resourceful understanding of the art. One might well wish to see this process more fully appreciated by public and artists. Among the latter, appreciation seems to be growing slowly but surely. As for the public, each exhibition such as the present one should help to increase acquaintance with this art, so fascinating, so resourceful, so rich in its past results and its future possibilities. -F. WEITEN KAMPF. |