In an era dominated by digital reproduction and instant imagery, the ancient art of printmaking continues to thrive through the dedicated hands of printmakers who understand the irreplaceable value of handcrafted techniques. Ever since the development of offset and digital printing, traditional printmaking techniques such as woodblock printing, lino print, silkscreen and lithography have lost some of their appeal for industrial purposes. However, this shift has only strengthened printmaking’s position as a fine art medium, where the tactile process and intimate scale create works that machines cannot replicate.

The contemporary printmaking landscape includes artists who honour historical techniques while addressing current themes and concerns. From social commentary to abstract exploration, from monumental installations to intimate etchings, these seven printmakers demonstrate the continued relevance and power of handcrafted print techniques in our digital age.

“I really love to make sweeping historical gestures that are like little illustrations of novels.” — Kara Walker

Kara Walker – Silhouette Master and Social Commentator

Kara Walker has revolutionized the art world through her powerful use of traditional silhouette techniques, transforming what was once considered a genteel parlor art into a vehicle for confronting America’s complex racial history. Her monumental cut-paper installations and prints address themes of slavery, violence, and racial stereotypes with unflinching directness. Walker’s mastery of the silhouette form allows her to create works that are simultaneously beautiful and disturbing, drawing viewers in with their elegant forms before revealing their challenging content. Her large-scale gallery installations often incorporate printmaking elements, including lithographs and screen prints that extend her silhouette vocabulary into reproducible formats.

Walker’s approach to printmaking demonstrates how traditional techniques can be employed to address contemporary social issues. Her prints often feature the same cut-paper aesthetic as her installations but allow for wider distribution and more intimate viewing experiences. The silhouette technique, with its reduction to essential forms and elimination of individual features, becomes a powerful metaphor for how racial identity has been constructed and deconstructed throughout American history. Her work proves that printmaking’s democratic nature – its ability to create multiple originals – can be harnessed for social and political commentary, making important artistic statements accessible to broader audiences while maintaining the handcrafted quality that gives each print its unique character and power.

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Kerry James Marshall – Redefining Representation in Print

Kerry James Marshall has established himself as one of the most important contemporary artists working today, with his printmaking practice serving as a crucial component of his broader mission to insert Black figures into the Western art historical canon. In dialogue with six centuries of representational painting, Kerry James Marshall’s work deftly reinterprets and updates its tropes, compositions, and styles. His prints, collected in publications like “Kerry James Marshall: The Complete Prints,” demonstrate his masterful command of traditional printmaking techniques while addressing the systematic exclusion of Black subjects from art history. Marshall’s lithographs, etchings, and screen prints feature his signature use of intense blacks and his distinctive approach to depicting Black skin tones, challenging conventional artistic representations.

Marshall’s printmaking practice reflects his deep understanding of art history and his commitment to technical excellence. His prints often reference classical compositions and art historical genres while centering Black experiences and narratives. The artist’s meticulous attention to craft – evident in his precise line work and sophisticated color palettes – elevates his social commentary beyond simple statement-making into profound artistic achievement. His prints serve multiple functions: they extend the reach of his artistic vision through the democratic nature of printmaking, they demonstrate his technical mastery across various media, and they create affordable entry points for collectors who might not have access to his paintings. Through printmaking, Marshall continues his project of “making Black figures visible” in spaces where they have been historically absent, using the reproducible nature of prints to multiply these important images.

David Hockney – Innovation Within Tradition

David Hockney’s approach to printmaking exemplifies how traditional techniques can be revitalized through innovative thinking and experimentation. Explore the printmaking techniques of David Hockney, from traditional lithography & etching to innovative use of Xerox photocopiers & photographic collages. Throughout his career, Hockney has pushed the boundaries of what printmaking can achieve, from his early etchings inspired by poetry to his revolutionary pool series and his later experiments with digital printing. His mastery of lithography is particularly noteworthy, with works that demonstrate both technical sophistication and artistic vision. Hockney’s prints often feature his signature bright colours and geometric compositions, translated through various printmaking processes with remarkable consistency and quality.

What sets Hockney apart in the printmaking world is his willingness to embrace new technologies while maintaining respect for traditional craftsmanship. His experiments with photocopiers, fax machines, and later digital printing technologies showed how contemporary tools could be integrated into printmaking practice without abandoning the medium’s essential handcrafted qualities. His collaboration with master printers at workshops like Gemini G.E.L. and Tyler Graphics resulted in some of the most technically ambitious prints of the late 20th century. Hockney’s prints demonstrate that innovation in printmaking doesn’t require abandoning traditional techniques but rather finding new ways to employ them. His work proves that printmaking remains a vital contemporary medium, capable of evolving with technology while maintaining its essential character as a hands-on, collaborative art form.

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Julie Mehretu – Large-Scale Contemporary Abstraction

Julie Mehretu has redefined what contemporary printmaking can achieve through her monumental abstract works that combine traditional etching and lithographic techniques with contemporary themes of globalization, migration, and urban development. Her prints, like her paintings, feature complex layered compositions that reference architectural plans, maps, and abstract mark-making. Mehretu’s approach to printmaking involves multiple plates and stones, creating incredibly detailed works that require months of collaboration with master printers. Her etchings often incorporate both traditional etching techniques and experimental approaches, including the use of power tools and unconventional materials to create marks and textures that reflect the chaos and complexity of contemporary urban experience.

“I draw flowers every day and send them to my friends so they get fresh blooms every morning.” — David Hockney

The scale and ambition of Mehretu’s prints challenge traditional notions of what printmaking can accomplish. Her works often rival paintings in their visual impact and complexity, demonstrating how printmaking techniques can be employed to create museum-quality works that address contemporary global concerns. Her collaboration with master printers pushes both artist and craftsperson to explore new possibilities within established techniques. The layering possible in printmaking – through multiple plates, stones, or screens – provides the perfect medium for Mehretu’s interest in depicting the layered complexity of modern life. Her prints succeed both as technical achievements and as powerful artistic statements about contemporary experience, proving that traditional printmaking techniques remain relevant for addressing current global concerns.

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William Kentridge – Animation and Print Integration

William Kentridge has revolutionized contemporary printmaking by integrating it with his animation practice, creating prints that capture the temporal dimension of his moving image works while standing as independent artistic statements. His etchings, lithographs, and linocuts often serve as both preparatory studies for his animations and as finished works that explore similar themes of memory, history, and political transformation in South Africa. Kentridge’s approach to printmaking emphasizes process and change, often leaving visible traces of revision and alteration that reflect his interest in the provisional nature of memory and history. His technical approach combines traditional European printmaking methods with a distinctly African sensibility, creating works that address post-apartheid South African experience through established artistic languages.

Kentridge’s prints demonstrate how traditional techniques can be revitalized through conceptual innovation and technical experimentation. His use of charcoal and pastel in combination with traditional printmaking techniques creates works with a distinctive atmospheric quality that reflects the emotional weight of his subject matter. His collaboration with master printers often involves pushing techniques to their limits, creating works that maintain the handcrafted quality of traditional printmaking while achieving effects that seem to move and breathe on the page. His prints serve multiple functions within his broader practice: they document his artistic process, they extend his animated narratives into static form, and they create affordable access points for engagement with his work. Through printmaking, Kentridge demonstrates how traditional techniques can address contemporary African experience while contributing to global artistic conversations.

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Kiki Smith – Body, Nature, and Traditional Craft

Kiki Smith has established herself as one of the most important contemporary artists working in printmaking, using traditional techniques to explore themes of the body, nature, spirituality, and feminine experience. Her prints encompass a wide range of techniques, from delicate etchings to bold lithographs to experimental approaches that incorporate materials like fabric, glass, and found objects. Smith’s approach to printmaking reflects her broader interest in traditional craft techniques and their potential for contemporary artistic expression. Her prints often feature imagery drawn from fairy tales, religious iconography, and natural history, rendered through techniques that emphasize the handmade quality and intimate scale that make printmaking particularly suited to personal and spiritual subjects.

Smith’s commitment to traditional printmaking techniques reflects her belief in the importance of maintaining craft knowledge and passing it on to future generations. She has worked extensively with master printers around the world, often learning new techniques and pushing established methods in new directions. Her prints demonstrate remarkable technical range, from precise engravings that rival Old Master works to experimental approaches that challenge the boundaries between printmaking and sculpture. Her work with fabric printing and textile techniques shows how traditional craft methods can be integrated with fine art printmaking to create works that speak to women’s traditional skills while asserting their place in contemporary art. Through her dedication to printmaking, Smith proves that traditional techniques remain vital tools for contemporary artistic expression, capable of addressing current concerns while maintaining connections to historical artistic practices.

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Conclusion

One of the most crucial changes in the 20th century involved the size of the print. All through its history, with few exceptions, the print was considered an intimate art form, enjoyed by the few. The change started with the Lautrec posters: the print started to grow until it became mural size. Today’s printmakers continue this evolution, working at scales from intimate to monumental while maintaining the essential collaborative relationship between artist and printer that defines the medium.

What unites these diverse practitioners is their commitment to the handcrafted process and their understanding that printmaking offers unique expressive possibilities not available in other media. Their work demonstrates that in our digital age, there remains a crucial place for art that bears the traces of human hands, that requires time and patience to create, and that maintains connections to centuries of artistic tradition while addressing contemporary concerns. Through their dedication to traditional techniques and their innovative approaches to subject matter and scale, these printmakers ensure that this ancient art form continues to evolve and remain relevant for future generations.

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