Old art, new avatar
The art of Serigraphy goes back to several centuries but modern techniques have made sure that the art is as suited to modern taste and times as yesterday. Brinda Dasgupta reports
Ever considered how different life would have been if Andy Warhol did only one print for each work? To start with, not only would those prints have been prohibitively expensive, but due to their limited number, only a select affluent could have access to them. Thankfully, that’s not the way things happened. Instead, Warhol was quick to see the capabilities of screen printing of the time, and turned them to his advantage. The result was seen in multifarious copies of his works, some of which are available even today. Warhol is also credited with making Serigraphy popular. Thanks to him, and the ‘Pop Art’ movement, contemporary artists were fast to catch on the possibilities of this technique.
The Serigraph Studio, Mumbai, recently collaborated with Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata, to delight art-lovers with a week-long exhibition of artworks by prominent artist Sakti Burman. Titled The Complete Collection, the exhibition was of Limited Edition Serigraphs, with 24 different Serigraphs, in two sizes – 12 serigraphs in size 22 inches by 30 inches, and another 12 serigraphs in size 30 inches by 40 inches.
The term ‘limited edition’ is self-explanatory. As Lavesh Jagasia, art collector and Founder of the Serigraph Studio says, “The fine art prints were printed in a limited quality, or restricted in the printing run to a specified number. This was done to make the print rare, and to add value to it.”
And value-added prints they were indeed. Each serigraph was made using the highest quality ink and paper of archival quality. Each serigraph was numbered, titled, and signed by Sakti Burman himself, and accompanied with Certificates of Authenticity, giving details about the Title, Image Size, Paper Size, Paper Quality, Edition, and Year of Release. Furthermore, a guarantee was given that no more serigraphs of the same image would be produced. So those who have missed out on Sakti Burman’s original works could choose from these serigraphs, which were based on his choicest paintings spanning the last two decades.
Screen printing itself first appeared during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) in China. Soon Japan and other Asian countries adopted this method of printing and developed it further with block printing and hand applied paints. Western Europe caught on in the 18th century, and when silk mesh was made available from trade, the method became more prominent and profitable. With further experimentation and discovery of safe sensitisers, as well as the introduction of stencils, screen printing became an accepted technique of reproducing art, and serigraphy became distinguishable as a method only used for artistic purposes.
Eventually, in the 1960s, American pop artist Andy Warhol gave serigraphy its true status with his depiction of Marilyn Monroe in a now famous series. Warhol saw the potential of using serigraphy over other printing methods – the advantages of enhanced colour, texture and detail. He also saw a means of supplying the growing demand for his work. Roy Lichtenstein, Arthur Okamura, and Henri Matisse caught on, and quickly serigraphy became the preferred alternative to original artworks. Closer home, since then there has been no looking back, with Ganesh Haloi, Jogen Chowdhury, Lalu Prasad Shaw, and Paritosh Sen lending their own touch to this art form.
Jagasia explains the basics: “A serigraph is fundamentally a fine art print, which has been produced through the screen printing method. This makes it, more precisely, a fine art screen print.” The technique, explained in layman’s terms, is a stencil method of print making, in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk, and blank areas coated with an impermeable substance. Ink is then forced through the silk onto the printing surface.
The etymology of the word ‘serigraphy’ can be traced to Greek and Latin. ‘Seri’ is Latin for silk, and ‘graphos’ in Greek means to draw. “So the word ‘serigraph’ literally means to draw through silk,” Jagasia says. This not only allows for multiple prints to be made of the same image, but also makes art much more affordable, and thereby more accessible, to the public.
But if you think every art poster out there is a serigraph, think again. Serigraphs are different from other commercial and industrial screen prints, which are mere photo-mechanical reproductions. Offset prints are more common, and those are the art posters that can be seen in gift shops and galleries. Fine Art prints, on the other hand, are regarded and accepted internationally – and come in types like Linocuts, Woodcuts, Lithographs, and of course – Serigraphs, which are rapidly gaining in popularity.
The artist Sakti Burman says that he is pleased with the results. “The exact tones of my palette have been brought out – be if Vermillion of Crimson, or even a combination of both.” Known for embracing the then-budding trend of lithography way back in the 1970s as a means of reaching out with art to the masses, Burman is no stranger to progressive measures. He credits the technique of serigraphy with being the ideal medium to reach out to more art lovers. “There are art collectors out there who want to acquire my paintings, but often they can’t as I am not a prolific painter, and produce hardly 15 paintings in a good year. Now, through high quality serigraphy, these collectors can enjoy my art.” Indeed, serigraphs titled Ganapathy Offering Flowers, Bibi and Mem, Dancers, Krishna, Legends of Hope, Flute Player, among others were part of the show.
Ambica Beri of Gallery Sanskriti feels happy that the exhibition fetched a good response from the connoisseurs of Kolkata. “The USP of serigraphy is that it’s the best alternative to expensive or inaccessible art.” With reasonable price tags (Rs. 30,000 for the 22 inches by 30 inches serigraphs, and Rs. 45,000 for the 30 inches by 40 inches serigraphs), the serigraphs of this exhibition were snapped up rather quickly.
However, there is a general notion that anything produced by the artist indirectly (with the help of assistants or printing facilities outside of the artist’s studio) is inferior, and does not deserve to be seen as a work of art. Jagasia is quick to comment, “This notion needs to be eradicated. The human mind can certainly put to use currently available technology to create works of art of a high calibre, but the artist has to ensure that the approach as a painter and feel is not diluted in the process.” What also matters is the concept, along with the manner of execution of the print. The concept should be original and reflect an individual signature style in the case of each artist. This means that each print should be authorised, in terms of concept, process and approach. By signing the print, the artist accepts it either as a work executed by him, or under his supervision, thus making it a Fine Art Print.
Today, serigraphy is a widely-accepted name in the art world and promises affordability, quality and credibility. Arguably the most versatile of all printing processes, it seems set to stay in popular culture for some time to come.
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