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Giclee:
The Definition : Giclee (zhee-klay) - The
French word "giclée" is a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of
liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning
"to squirt".
The Term : The term "giclee print" connotes an elevation in
printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution digital
scans and printed with archival quality inks onto various substrates
including canvas, fine art, and photo-base paper. The giclee printing
process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction.
The Process : Giclee prints are created typically using professional
8-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Among the manufacturers of these
printers are vanguards such as Epson, MacDermid Colorspan, &
Hewlett-Packard. These modern technology printers are capable of producing
incredibly detailed prints for both the fine art and photographic markets.
Giclee prints are sometimes mistakenly referred to as Iris prints, which are
4-Color ink-jet prints from a printer pioneered in the late 1970s by Iris
Graphics.
The Advantages : Giclee prints are advantageous to artists who do not
find it feasible to mass produce their work, but want to reproduce their art
as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally archived, additional
reproductions can be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost. The
prohibitive up-front cost of mass production for an edition is eliminated.
Archived files will not deteriorate in quality as negatives and film
inherently do. Another tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that
digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media,
giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.
The Quality : The quality of the giclee print rivals
traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly
found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
The Market : Numerous examples of giclee prints can be found in New
York City at the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the
Chelsea Galleries. Recent auctions of giclee prints have fetched $10,800 for
Annie Leibovitz, $9,600 for Chuck Close, and $22,800 for Wolfgang Tillmans
(April 23/24 2004, Photographs, New York, Phillips de Pury & Company.)
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| SERIGRAPH:
Serigraphy from the Greek Words serikos (silk) and graphos (writing), is basically a stencil process.
A screen of silk, nylon or wire is tightly stretched across a frame. A non-porous material
is then used to block out parts of the mesh in a chosen design. The "open" parts
of the screen allow for the ink to be squeegee through to the paper below resulting in the
final printed image. Each color must be printed separately and the paper must be allowed
to dry each time before the next color can be applied. The prints are on drying
racks to keep each print separate to protect them from damage and to allow air to
circulate for drying. Serigraphs are often printed with 40 or more colors.
The idea of printing with stencils is thought
to go back as far as the drawings of early cave dwellers. It is a known fact that they
were used in the Middle Ages to enhance other prints. It became a medium promoted in the
U.S. during the depression, but seemed to loose interest in the 1950's. At this time
artists in other countries picked up the medium. Finally in the 1960's it once again made
a comeback in the U.S. and has since become a very important part of the art market.
Silk-screening is a very popular
medium chosen by artists because of it's versatility. The equipment is easily assembled
and relatively compact and inexpensive, The screens can be stretched to accommodate large
works and there are a number of techniques to produce the stencil image on the screen.
Although the procedure may sound easy, it
is really a complex process which must be mastered by the artist. Serigraphy
itself is an art form and serigraphs have become valuable collectors
items.
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