T R A D I T I O N A L   L I T H O G R A P H

TITLE: Negress VIEW
LIMITED EDITION: 12 prints, numbered & signed by the artist.
IMAGE SIZE: 23 x 33 cm
PAPER SIZE: 28.3 x 37.3 cm
NOT AVAILABLE

This artwork is a ‘handmade’ lithograph, the first made by Kim Nelson.
The original litho stone has since been erased ensuring no further lithographs of this image can be made

Lithography or ‘Drawing on stone’
Stone lithography is a planographic printing process based on the chemical fact that grease and water repel each other. The printform is a flat, smoothly-ground slab of limestone, the lithostone. On this smooth surface, a drawing can be made with lithographic ink. The grease from the ink is absorbed by the stone. The unmarked parts are worked over with gum arabic to make them more impervious to grease and more absorbent for water. The pigments of the ink are then washed off with turpentine, while the grease remains in the stone. The stone is then wetted; the unmarked parts absorb the water and the marked parts repel the water. When the stone is inked, the greasy printing ink adheres only to the grease on the drawing. The lithograph is then printed on the scraper press.
Lithography was invented in 1796 by Alois Senefelder. The first Dutch litho dates from 1809.