The art of printmaking to the fore: Art exhibition in Delhi

The exhibition ‘Of Divergent Practices: The Trajectory of Printmaking’ showcases works of art done through different techniques of printmaking.

Reflections by Dattatraya Apte

As four artists – Anandamoy Banerjee, Dattatraya Apte, Kavita Nayar and Sushanta Guha - sit in the Dhoomimal Art Gallery, the camaraderie between them is evident. “One of the reasons I enjoy printmaking is because of these people who I have been working with for 40 years,” says Anandamoy.  

Unlike painters who mostly work in isolation, printmakers work in the community – they help others and also get help for themselves. Printmaking is a form of art involving the transfer of images from a matrix (wooden, metallic or glass) onto another surface, most often paper or fabric. There are broadly five techniques in printmaking - intaglio, relief, plenography, stencil and digitography. 

The exhibition ‘Of Divergent Practices: The Trajectory of Printmaking’ showcases works of art done through these different techniques of printmaking.

What catches the eye are numerical values such as 6/15, 10/10 etc on the paintings, indicating that it is the 6th copy out of a total of 15 or the 10th copy out of a total of 10. This is one of the ways to identify a painting as a printed piece of art. Even though all the impressions are made through the exact same matrix, minor differences are inevitable.

When asked what motivates them to continue doing this form of art, Kavita says “It is adventurous because the end result is always surprising – sometimes it disappoints while at other times it elevates.“ Anandamoy adds, “Surface vibration is the character of printmaking. The process might be very physical, but the charm is very interesting.” 

The artists are undeterred by the fact that printmaking is not as commercially successful as other forms of art but they hope it will be one day. Moreover, they would also like to see printmaking get the autonomous status. 

An important point of debate when it comes to printmaking is that multiplicity leads to a loss of uniqueness. “It is all about the mindset,” says Anandamoy. “If one can accept edition sarees, why not edition art? If we see the edition number at the end of the newspaper then why can’t we see it on a piece of art? An attitude of sharing needs to be developed in society. One has to accept art as gold,” adds Dattatraya. 

At Dhoomimal Art Gallery, Connaught Place, till April 25.