Modern life is filled with digital technologies that allow you to instantly copy and print any image in monochrome or color. But it was not always so. A century and a half ago, it was a laborious process that took a lot of time and energy. How did it all begin?
"Printer" of the past
At the beginning of the 19th century, such a printing technique as lithography was widespread in the visual arts. Its principle was very simple: a certain image was applied to a smooth surface, and then under pressure it was printed on a sheet of paper. This technology allowed us to make several identical images, contributed to the mass distribution of works of art. However, lithography had a significant drawback: it produced only black and white images.
The "monochrome" problem was solved with the improvement of the method, which came to be called chromolithography. The prefix "chromos" comes from the Greek language and in translation means color. Chromolithography is the same lithography, there are only a few stones and a certain color is applied to each of them. Then a paper sheet is applied to each of the plates, resulting in a color image.
History of occurrence
The origin of chromolithography is still a controversial issue, to which no clear answer has yet been found. It is believed that the inventor of this technique is Alois Zenefelder, who in 1818 set out its basic principles in his book “The Complete Course of Lithography”. Later, his work was studied by the Russian artist K. Ya. Tromonin and applied the method in practice. In 1832, he printed illustrations for a book dedicated to Prince Svyatoslav. And in 1837, the French artist Godfroy Engelmann received a patent for the use of technology. However, there is an alternative opinion that the method was used in the printing of playing cards long before its official opening.
Popularization of masterpieces
The peak of color lithography occurs in the second half of the XIX - the first half of the XX centuries. Then there were many workshops where they copied by this method. In Russia, the most famous such place was called "Artistic Institution", which was led by A.F. Marx, a major publisher of his time. This craft contributed to the wide distribution of copies of paintings: icons, paintings and graphic paintings, made them more accessible.
Chromolithography was also used to copy ancient manuscripts and historically important documents. Until now, one of the recognized masterpieces in this area is considered to be a collection of publications of written monuments of Ancient Russia, published since the mid-19th century.
Production process
Chromolithography is a chemical process in which many chemicals and their compounds are used. The contours of the image are applied to the limestone or zinc plate with a special pencil or ink. Next, the printing forms are soaked in a solution of weak nitric acid and gum arabic (a solid resin obtained from acacia). After this procedure, they are coated with a specific color and transferred to paper under pressure. For more accurate color reproduction, additional stones and plates are used. Typically, reproducing a single image takes from 20 to 25 shapes in various shades. To make the color print in the right place, the wizards use registration marks that fix the stones.
Disputes about art
Despite the fact that chromolithography has become a truly revolutionary method of creating images, society is faced with a dilemma whether it is considered art or not. Many were inclined to the last option. This opinion was justified by the fact that chromolithography is a mechanized process. It paid more attention to the accuracy of movements and the order of actions than to the enchanting flight of fantasy. In addition, chromolithographs mainly created copies of paintings, rather than original masterpieces. The costs of such production were very low, so over time the craft acquired all the features of a profitable business, rather than high art.
Today, chromolithography has been superseded by modern and more efficient copying methods. It has turned into a story with hitherto unresolved issues and contradictions.