Interpreting Out-of-Print Prints

With the technological innovation of the printing industry, information dissemination no longer depends on prints, creating conditions for prints to become independent works of art.

In 1962 , the great Spanish artist Picasso created the color linoleum print "Still Life Under the Lamp" using the out-of-print method.

Still life under the lamp, linoleum, color, out of print, 53 x 64 cm

Created by Picasso in 1964

 

In 1984 , Yunnan Pu'er artist Zheng Xu's woodcut "Lagu Style" created with a unique technique won the gold medal at the National Art Exhibition, which opened the development history of China's unique woodcut.

Lahu customs Mimeographed, color-printed, out-of-print woodcut, 57cm × 70cm

Created by Zheng Xu in 1984

 

Out-of-print chromatic prints are a form of printing that evolved from chromatic woodcuts. While chromatic woodcuts typically use " one color per plate, with multiple plates printed simultaneously , " out-of-print woodcuts use "one plate with multiple engravings, with each plate printed separately."

The artist carved the first layer of pattern on the only wooden board and then applied ink to rub it.

The blade scrapes away the printed part and carves a new layer of color on the printing plate

After more than ten engraving cycles, the wooden board was finally unrecognizable.

This " subtractive creation " makes each work a truly unique piece that can never be reproduced.

The process of coloring the out-of-print version of Teacher Cao Mingfeng's "Sound of Spring":

 

First color edition

Second color version

Third edition color

Fourth edition color

Fifth color edition

Sixth edition color

Seventh edition color

Eighth edition color

Ninth edition color

The reduced-print color technique frees printmakers from the tediousness of multi-print woodcuts, allowing them to achieve rich and delicate colors and forms more easily, freely and accurately. The superposition of layers of ink requires printmakers to have excellent control over color. In addition to form, the texture effect of out-of-print prints is also worth appreciating and savoring.