Post Chiaroscuro: Prints in Color After the Renaissanc
September 16 - December 13, 2013
Drawing on the resources of the Hamon Library's Jerry Bywaters Special Collections and loans from the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston, this exhibition explores how color prints were made after the 16th century, when the technique known as chiaroscuro woodcut had been developed. Print matrices, such as metal plates and linoleum blocks, assorted proof impressions, and finished prints by James Gillray (c. 1756-1815), Janet Turner (1914-1988) and Octavio Medellin (1907-1999) demonstrate the steps in producing multicolor prints. The prints on view also provide examples of the three main printing techniques: intaglio, in which the design is incised into the matrix; relief, in which the negative space around the design is cut away from the matrix surface; and planographic, a chemical process in which the matrix remains perfectly flat. Post Chiaroscuro is offered in conjunction with two art history courses taught by Associate Professor Lisa Pon: the History of Western Printmaking, 1400-1750, and Early Modern Print. Members of the general viewing public are invited to try answering questions from the class assignments, made available on gallery handouts. Responses from students in the class will be added while the exhibition is on view. Samantha Robinson, a second year M.A. student in art history, is the exhibition's student curator.
Companion Exhibit