Hand Signed Lithographs And Other Art Prints for sale
Lithography (from Ancient Greek λίθος, lithos 'stone', and γράφειν, graphein 'to write'), uses simple chemical processes to create an image. It is a method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water and uses a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface, although in modern litography the image is made of a polymer coating applied to a flexible plastic or metal plate. Invented in 1796 by German author and actor Alois Senefelder, lithography can be used to print text or artwork onto paper or other suitable material.
During the first years of the 19th century, lithography had only a limited effect on printmaking, mainly because technical difficulties remained to be overcome. Over the course of the century however, lithography was adopted by famed artists such as Delacroix, Géricault, Goya, Manet and Degas. The need for strictly limited editions to maintain the price had increasingly been realized, and the medium became more accepted. In the 1890s, color lithography gained success in part by the emergence of Jules Chéret, known as the father of the modern poster, whose work went on to inspire a new generation of poster designers and painters, most notably Toulouse-Lautrec, and former student of Chéret, Georges de Feure. By 1900 the medium in both color and monotone was an accepted part of printmaking.
During the 20th century, a group of artists, including Braque, Calder, Chagall, Dufy, Léger, Matisse, Miró, and Picasso, rediscovered the largely undeveloped artform of lithography thanks to the Mourlot Studios, a Parisian printshop founded in 1852. Fernand Mourlot encouraged the painters to work directly on lithographic stones in order to create original artworks that could then be executed under the direction of master printers in small editions. The combination of modern artist and master printer resulted in lithographs that were used as posters to promote the artists' work.
Grant Wood, George Bellows, Alphonse Mucha, Max Kahn, Pablo Picasso, Eleanor Coen, Jasper Johns, David Hockney, Susan Dorothea White, and Robert Rauschenberg are a few of the artists who have produced most of their prints in the medium. M. C. Escher is considered a master of lithography, and many of his prints were created using this process. More than other printmaking techniques, printmakers in lithography still largely depend on access to good printers, and the development of the medium has been greatly influenced by when and where these have been established.
Artyish offers hand signed lithographs by artists in many different styles:
… and many more!