Print making: Story and History - Contd...

Nandalal Bose also had close association with the activities of the ‘Vichitra Club’. Nandalal left Kolkata and took over the charge of newly started Kala Bhavan. During 1920s several foreign artists visited Kala Bhavan and demonstrated practical knowledge and contemporary art practice of their countries. By this first hand knowledge of various methods and materials and contemporary art theory the artists of Santiniketan were exposed to new enthusiasm. During this period a few foreign artists demonstrated the art of print making at Kala Bhavan. Artists gradually came to know the contemporary graphic art of the world. A new era began. To create intense interest in printmaking during this period, the credit goes to Ramendranath Chakravorty, Manindra Bhusan Gupta, Binode Behari Mukherjee, Ramkinkar Baij and Biswarup Bose. They experimented and created a number of woodcuts, linocuts and intaglio during 1930s and 40s and published individual folio of lino and wood cut prints. Apart from the Printing activities of Kala Bhavan during 1940s and 50s, artists like F.H. Raulfdar (Madras-Mangalore), Samarendranath Gupta (Lahore), Sudhir ranjan Khastgir (Dehradun), Y. K. Sukla (Bombay-Ahmedabad), L. M. Sen (Lucknow), Murlidhar Tali (Kolkata-Bhubaneswar), Sofiuddin Ahmad (Kolkata-Dacca), Haren Das (Kolkata), Adinath Mukherjee (Kolkata), Santosh Kumar Banerjee (Lucknow), Binod Raut Roy (Santiniketan-Bhubaneswar), Chitra Prasad Bhattacheryee (Kolkata -Bombay), Gunen Ganguli (New Delhi), Jivan Adalja (New Delhi) contributed immensely. By this time, we see an important change in the approach towards Graphic Art. The Indian artists were no longer concerned with only reproductive value; in fact they concentrated more in doing an absolute work by itself, which could stand as an independant work of art.

Although Printmaking started as a creative expression amongst Indian artists since 1920s, it did not flourish thoroughly due to lack of technical know how and also due to unavailability of related materials from the local markets. Even Graphic art was looked as a secondary medium. All these vital problems did not allow much mobility and progress towards Printmaking before 1960s.

Before 1960’s all printed pictures either done for commercial and illustrating purposes or created for artistic activities as display prints altogether were called ‘Graphic Art’. The purpose and attitude of each sector of prints are distinctively different from each other. To separate them, it was necessary to coin a new term. More or less from 1965 onwards the Printmaking Council of America restricted the definition of original artistic prints to be called Printmaking and the artist creator thus called ‘Printmaker’. And on the other hand prints created for non-artistic purpose be named as ‘Graphic Art’. Gradually the term 'Printmaking' has been unanimously accepted for artistic hand-done prints, while the commercial printing activities followed original title ‘Graphics’. The Print-Making Council of America made the following definitions of an original print:

1. The artist will create the master image in or upon the plate, wood, stone or such other material for the purpose of creating prints.

2.  As it is observed that previously engraved prints were generally made with the help of expert technicians who did master block, copying the original drawing of the artists. To avoid this, the council made the following restriction. The artist or the pursuant will make the print to his direction. The artist will process the block and that the print will also be taken by the artist.

3.  The final print is to be approved and also duly signed by the artist. The artist must mention the edition number and the nature of edition. Unsigned prints will be considered less valuable than signed impressions.

4.  If the prints are made for an edition of more than ten for sale, the artist must produce one cancellation print by a cross mark on or upon the block to guard against further edition.

5. The council also made it clear that these restrictions are not necessarily applicable to prints made before 1930. The guideline laid down by the council more or less has been accepted among the prints makers, artists, art critic, art historian, art collectors and art connoisseurs in general.

But recently entering into the new concept of postmodern doctrine of art practice all over the globe, the practice of printmaking also has taken a different shape. With the new concept and language of recent printmaking scenario the guideline of artistic prints has gradually changed. At present it is open to individual artist-printmaker to follow ones own right and accordingly artists have their own choice to follow the guideline or not to follow or alter it. It was 1960s onwards that the boost of contemporary prints made a special mark on the art practice.