I have been reading the book Collagraphs and Mixed media Printmaking which contains examples of many artist's using chine colle. In particular the author, Brenda Hartill, gives detailed instructions and examples.
She gives a range of suggestions for using papers, such as creating a frame by pasting a whole block of different colored paper over the base paper, or enhancing features of the image. She describes using this to vary and edition and give particular detail on using metal leaf. She uses large areas of metal leaf, not just the small highlights I imagined this technique would be suitable for, and they appear to adhere without the support of other layers of paper:
A similar image is demonstrated printing in the book and the large area of copper is the only chine colle element. In my experiments I have found it very hard to get foil to adhere without other papers supporting it as suggested in the Printmaking 1 guide.
The large metal leaf elements make new elements in the image rather than enhance a composition in a more subsidiary way which is a more adventurous approach to chine colle than some other examples I have seen.
In my combination mono/lino prints my initial explorations
revolved around depicting water in monoprint. I tried a range of compositions
and source images studying reflections and ripples in paint before recreating
this as multilayered monoprints. I explored additive and reductive techniques
and exaggerated colours to create vibrant skies and seas and muted them to
create moody moonlit scenes.
I then contrasted
this with a stark leafless winter tree in the fore ground. I traced a couple of
tree designs onto acetate and laid them over my monoprints and found that the
more realistic tree looked out of place on my more experimental monoprints. I
developed the design of the tree to make it less realistic, to allow it to fit
in a more impressionistic landscape. This gave me the freedom to develop my
monoprints in a range of directions, and still maintain some unity between the
two components of the image.
I tried to develop these prints a bit by varying the composition. I added a second block in this first print. I created a reductive, loose mono print for the background, giving the effect of the moonlit sea knowing it will be mostly covered but the two blocks. . To create this I did not use traditional
registration, I placed the blocks on the paper in the right position then turned
all over, unfortunately they moved slightly, this meant the print was slightly blurred.
I also tried offsetting the block to alter the
composition. I had to mask off part of it to maintain a white border around the print. This was a simple way to create a new image and gave a different perspective on the mono print as more of it was visible, it became more of a focal point.
I have created an interesting range of prints for this project
When viewed together they show a range of ideas and techniques that I think shows depth of exploration for this project.
My first series of prints of lino over mono prints were mixed in their technical success but on the whole I was pleased with how the images worked together.
Here is my proof of my block.
The texture of the paper showed through on this print, possibly more pressure would have helped here. Also, the blocks started the same size but the paper shrank so the lino block is now bigger.
This print could have been clearer.
Registration problems again.
I think the two layers work well together because the mono prints are quite loose and free and do not compete with the block.
Next steps, try to vary the composition through using the block in different ways. I have another block I may combine with this.
I visited the Tate Modern at Christmas. There were many artworks I saw there that were of interest but I have decided to focus on one artist for my learning log - Gerhard Richter. In particular I found his series of paintings inspired by John Cage particularly interesting in relation to my recent research on art and music.
The inspiration for these paintings comes apparently not from an analysis of the sound quality of a particular piece of music, but a shared aesthetic of allowing aspects of chance to control the development of the artwork:
In an interview with curator Hans Ulrich Obrist in 2006, Richter discussed the Cage paintings and the ongoing significance of John Cage’s concepts of discipline, chance and coincidence for his works. Chance plays a definitive role in abstract painting, Richter explained: ‘Despite all my technical experience, I cannot always exactly foresee what will happen when I apply or remove large amounts of paint with the scraper. Surprises emerge, disappointing ones, pleasant ones, which in any case represent changes to the painting – changes that I have to process first in my mind before I can continue’ (Richter 2009, p.531) ("Cage (1) - (6), Gerhard Richter 2006 | Tate").
These dense images apparently owe much to chance, the way the squeegee moved and removed the paint could only partially be controlled. However, I would argue that much of this is controlled, the choice of color for example. If the technique creates uncontrolled color mixing then the artist has certainly chosen a limited color palette, possibly to control this, or to reflect the minimalistic style which is sometimes a feature of Cages work.
Example of Cages work:
Variations II (1961)
This work is intended "for any number of players and any sound producing means." The score consists of eleven transparent sheets: six with lines and five with points. The mechanism is the same as inVariations I: perpendiculars are dropped from points to lines to determine sound characteristics, except that the list of characteristics is different: frequency, amplitude, timbre, etc.("Variations (Cage)")
This piece of music is an example of the 'happenings' period of Cage's work, music inspired by quite random events. Many of these pieces involved quite complicated instructions to create these random events, which seems ironic. This begs the question, is anything truly random?
Richter painted abstract works based on music previously. A series of paintings inspired by Bach appear to utilize similar techniques of applying and removing thick layers of paint with a squeegee. However, the music of Bach is very different, a lot less is left to chance. The music always has a clear structure and is seen as extremely orderly and balanced. How Richter has used this music as inspiration here is unclear, the image is certainly calmer and more balanced than the Cage images with clearer lines and strong horizontal lines creating more order and balance. The colors are bright and create strong contrast. I could connect these features to qualities of the sound of many pieces of music by Bach, such as clearly structured forms with contrasting sections and keys. However, if we analyze from the same view point as the Cage paintings and assume the artist has taken the same artistic intention to composition a different analysis could be made. J. S. Bach created balanced musical works with the confines of a system of rules designed to create balanced and ordered harmony suitable for music to be used in church. In the paintings Richter has followed formal rules of composition by creating a composition based on thirds divided by the use of color vertically. Balance has been created by using colors of equal intensity with one area of focus created by the use of white in the centre. A triadic color scheme has been used, a classic way of achieving balance in a composition whilst maintaining contrast.
