Dictionary of Fine Art Terms
COMMON ART PRINT TERMS
Acid-free Paper or Canvas - Paper or canvas treated to neutralize its natural acidity in order to protect fine art and photographic prints from discoloration and deterioration. Canvas Transfer - Art reproduction on canvas which is created by a process such as serigraphy, photomechanical, or giclee printing. Some processes can even recreate the texture, brush strokes, and aged appearance of the original work of art. Color-variant Suite - A set of identical prints in different color schemes. Impression - Fine art made by any printing or stamping process. Limited Edition - Set of identical prints numbered in succession and signed by the artist. The total number of prints is fixed or "limited" by the artist who supervises the printing hlm(her)self. All additional prints have been destroyed. Monoprint - One-of-a-kind print conceived by the artist and printed by or under the artist's supervision. Montage (Collage) - An artwork comprising of portions of various existing images such as from photographs or prints, and arranged so that they join, overlap, or blend to create a new image. Multiple Originals - A set of identical fine prints in which the artist personally conceived the image, created the master plates, and executed or supervised the entire printing process. Example: etching. Multiple Reproductions - A set of identical fine prints reproducing the image of an original artwork created by a non-printing process. Example: serigraph of an oil on canvas. Open Edition - A series of prints or objects in an art edition that has an unlimited number of copies. Original print - One-of-a-kind print in which the artist personally conceived the image, created the master plates, and executed the entire printing process. Provenance - Record of ownership for a work of art, ideally from the time it- left the artist's studio to its present location, thus creating an unbroken ownership history. Remarque - Small sketch in the margin of an art print or additional enhancements by the artist on some or all of the final prints within an edition. Restrike - Additional prints made from a master plate, block, lithograph stone, etc. after the original edition has been exhausted. PRINT TYPES Proofs are prints authorized by the artist in addition to the limited signed and numbered edition. The total size of an art edition consists of the signed and numbered prints plus all outstanding proofs. If a set of proofs consists of more than one print, numbers are inscribed to indicate the number of the prints within the total number of the particular type of proof, (e,g., A.P. 5/20 means the fifth print in a set of 20 identical. prints authorized as artist's proofs). Proofs are generally signed by the artist as validation of the prints. Artist's proof - Print intended for the artist's personal use. It is a common practice to reserve approximately ten percent of an edition as artist's proofs, although this figure can be higher. The artist's proof is sometimes referred to by its French name, epreuve d'artist (abbreviated E.A.). Artist's proofs can be distinguished by the abbreviation A.P. or E.A., commonly on the lower left corner of the work. Bon a Tirer (B.A.T.) - When the artist is satisfied with the graphic from the finished plate, he works with his printer to pull one perfect graphic and it is marked "Bon a Tirer," meaning "good to pull." The printer then compares each graphic in the edition with the BAT before submitting the graphic to the artist for approval and signature. There is typically one BAT which becomes the property of the printer or workshop printing the edition. Cancellation proof - Final print made once an edition series has been finished to show that the plate has been marred/mutilated by the artist and will never be used again to make more prints of the edition. Hors d'Commerce Proof - Print identical to the edition print intended for dealers and galleries. Hors d'Commerce (abbreviated H.C.) proofs may or may not be signed by the artist. Printer's proof - Print retained by the printer as a reference. Artists often sign these prints as a gesture of appreciation. Trial proof - Pre-cursor to a limited-edition series, these initial prints are pulled so that the artist may examine, refine, and perfect the prints to the desired final state. Trial proofs are generally not signed. PHOTOGRAPHIC TERMS Albumen - The most popular photographic print from 1855 to 1890. Albumen positive prints are made on paper coated with frothy egg white and salt solution and sensitized with silver nitrate solution. The print is then finalized by exposure to sunlight through a negative. Carbon Print - The first permanent photographic printing process used between 1866 to 1890. Made in three different tones: black, purple-brown, sepia. It is made by using 3 layers of stable pigment in registration on top of each other and requires a minimum of 12 hours to create a single print. Carbon prints are highly sought after and rare. Cibachrome - A positive print process known for its sharpness, rich color saturation, and permanence. Unless interpositives are made, these prints are made from slides and transparencies, never from color negatives. Daguerreotype - The first practical photo process invented in 1838 in which an image was formed on a copper plate coated with highly polished silver. Following exposure, the image is developed in mercury vapor, resulting in a unique image on metal that cannot be used as a negative for replication. Dye Transfer - A high-quality color photographic printing technique involving the transfer of dyes from three separately prepared images onto a single sheet of paper in exact registration. Though costly, this process produces prints with sharp registration, rich color saturation and great longevity. Evercolor Pigment Transfer - developed by Evercolor using four layers of separate color transfer, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, in registration to create prints. This very costly process creates very realistic and sharp images which attain three dimensional quality when displayed. Prints done in this process are highly sought after and rare. Fujicolor Print - Developed by Fuji Film of Japan, Fujicolor prints have the best color gamut and extreme longevity. It was developed originally for 1 hour processing. When used with the light jet printer, this process achieves amazing color saturation, contrast control and extreme sharpness. Photogravure (Gravure) - Started around 1879, a print process using copper plates. The plate is sometimes chrome plated to insure sharpness and continuous tones throughout the edition. This is a very complex and exacting photo process which produces great longevity. Photomontage - A composite image made by joining together portions (or all) of more than one photograph to synthesize a unique image. Plate - Usually a glass or metal sheer coated with light-sensitive emulsion that: is intended to receive the image through the aperture oi~he lens o~ a camera when insert-ed into the camera. Platinum Print (Platinotype)- A print formed by exposing a negative in contact with payer that has been sensitized with iron salts and a platinum compound. This process is highly prized for its unique cones, high color saturation, exceptional details and beautiful papers. It is a highly permanent and costly process. Silver Gelatin - A high-quality, black-and-white photographic printing technique in which a natural protein is used as a transparent medium to hold light-sensitive silver halide crystals in suspension, binding them to the printing paper or film, yet allowing for penetration of processing solutions. Made famous by photographers like Weston and Adams, these prints require incredible skill to achieve the rich black and white contrasts while maintaining the subtle gray tones and amazing derails throughout the image. Popular from 1920s to present. OTHER TERMS Holograph - Holograph comes from the Greek words "holo", meaning whole and "graph", meaning message. The combination means "the whole message" which is exactly what the holograph gives the viewer. A Holograph is a "reflective holograph" requiring only an ordinary uncoated light bulb on one side of the film plate to become a magical window displaying three dimensional visions of objects. These objects shift position and perspective exactly as they would if they were really there, where they only appear to be. COMMON ABBREVIATIONS USED IN ART 2nd ed - Second edition: prints of the same image as the original edition but altered in some way (as in change of color, paper, or printing process). 2nd st. - Second state. prints of proofs which contain significant changes from the original print.A.P. - Artist's proof. Del - (Latin, deleavit) He (she) drew it. Generally inscribed next to the artist's signature. E.A. - (French, epreuve d'artist) An artist's proof. Exe or Imp - (Latin, excudit) He (she) executed it. The meaning is synonymous with (Latin, impressit) he(she) printed it. H.C. - (French, hors d'commerce) Prints from an edition intended for dealers and galleries. Inc. or Sculp - (Latin, incidit) He(she) cut it. The meaning is synonymous with (Latin, impressit) he(she) carved it. These abbreviations refer to the individuals who engraved the master plate. Inv, or Invent - (Latin, invenit) He(she) designed it. Generally inscribed next to the artist's signature. Lith. or Lithe - "Lithographed By". Usually follows the name of the printer of the lithograph. Pinx. - (Latin, pinxit) He(she) painted it. Generally inscribed next to the artist's signature. PP - Printer's proof . TP - Trial proof. |