Prints: Art and Techniques (Victoria and Albert Museum Catalogues) (Hardcover)

by Susan Lambert (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Printmaking spans everything from hand prints on ancient cave walls to Rembrandt's copper etchings of the Virgin and Child and Warhol's soup cans to the potato prints made by today's second grader at the kitchen table. Byrne, a print publisher and curator, here focuses on strictly contemporary uses of etching, aquatint, lithography, and screen printing. He covers both basic techniques and the joint experimentation of artist and master printer, surveying the American print scene with examples from ten of the top North American print houses. Recommended for collections serving advanced students and professionals. Chief curator of the Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Lambert here offers a very fine, short volume that concentrates on traditional printmaking methods, including relief, intaglio, planographic, and stencil. She uses examples from William Hogarth to Victor Vasarely, drawing on the collections of the V & A. Lambert addresses students and collectors, including a glossary of technical terms, abbreviations found in print inscriptions, and a select bibliography. This is recommended for popular collections but cannot replace John Ross and Clare Romano's essential and far more comprehensive Complete Printmaker.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Noteworthy for its exceptionally clear, concise explanations of a complex subject, this guide to the full range of printmaking techniques describes how art prints are made and offers a brief history of the various processes, which fall into four categories: relief, intaglio, planographic, and stencil. The text also looks at papermaking, for its effect on the character of an impression, and explains how manual methods have evolved into more modern photomechanical techniques. Illustrated with examples from the superb collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and including a glossary of printmaking technology and abbreviations commonly found in inscriptions, this up-to-date guide will be of special interest to students and collectors.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Victoria & Albert Museum (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810965771
• ISBN-13: 978-0810965775
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,454,360 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding introduction., February 16, 2004

By	wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

If someone wants a first introduction to fine prints, this is the book to recommend. It is well organized by technical process and well illustrated. As with any specialist topic, detailed discussion of prints and printmaking can turn dry. Lambert has avoided that error, mostly through brevity. She's curator of one of the world's finest collections of prints - I admire her restraint.

Lambert focusses this book on the technical processes of printmaking. The reader comes away with the basic vocabulary of prints, and a good idea of how each technique serves expressive or commercial needs. I hope the reader will take this knowledge to a museum, to see first-hand how each process looks in life. Although this book is very well illustrated, the reader's new knowledge really must be tried on actual prints, since reproduction can not convey the real subtlety of each technique.

I almost wish this showed a few more examples, like a Picasso drypoint showing the split line that can appear, or the delicate texture that a rocker leaves in a mezzotint. Any book can be made longer - on reflection, I favor Lambert's decision to keep it brief and readable.

This book is not about the history of printmaking, except where history places each technique relative to the others and to other arts. I think that decision makes this book ideal for beginners. This gives the reader knowledge that can be put to use immediately, when the reader sees an original print. Once this book stirs the novice reader's interest, it will be up to the reader to seek out more information on specifics. It's a practical approach that I think works well.

I'm already a nut for prints and print process. I didn't need this extra push. It's a lovely book, though, and I can't wait to pass it on to someone just learning to love prints.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Brief Overview of Print Techniques, July 26, 2002

By	"krchicago" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

Lambert provides excellent brief descriptions of the many printing techniques -- how they work mechanically, where they came from, how they have developed, and the characteristic marks they leave on the paper. Illustrations are well chosen to show off the attributes of the various techniques, with numerous enlargements to provide detail. The technical discussion is generally clear and easy to follow, even if you have never observed the process (electrotyping being the one notable exception). Covers relief processes, intaglio processes, lithography and screenprinting, including modern photomechanical processes relevant to each. Lambert also offers a few observations on the commercial use and development of various techniques, and includes a chapter on paper and a brief, helpful bibliography. A very good overview for newcomers to prints and useful reference for the more experienced.