These three words all describe the same printmaking process. Screenprinting is a stencil method in which ink is pushed through a fine mesh onto the surface beneath. That surface could be almost anything–paper, fabric, or plastic–but in fine art we usually think of high-quality archival paper.
Fine art screenprints are sometimes called serigraphs. This term helps to distinguish them from industrialized screenprinting, like mass-producing t-shirts. In the fine art process, the artist places a sheet of paper beneath a framed screen. Then they pour thick, paint-like ink along the edge of the frame. A squeegee then pulls the ink from back to front, across the stenciled surface, pushing the ink through the stencil and onto the paper. Each color in a screenprint requires a different screen, so a multi-color print can involve many separate passes.
Materials and Method
Early screens were usually made of a fine silk bolting cloth, which gave rise to the term “silkscreen”. Today, mosts artists use synthetic meshes, like nylon or polyester, so “silkscreen” is more of a legacy term. The mesh is stretched tightly over a frame and hinged to a table, keeping each color layer aligned. When an artist makes an edition of 100 prints, they print one color across all 100 sheets before moving on to the next layer. The process is slow, deliberate and highly physical.
Screenprinting dates back centuries. Examples survive from China’s Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD). In the modern era, a group of artists in New York revived the method in 1938 through a project known as the Federal Art Project. This group developed the potential of this method and formally coined the term serigraphy. They later formed the core of the National Serigraph Society, which actively promoted the art form for over two decades.
Warhol and the Rise of Pop
Andy Warhol – Vote McGovern 1972
The Pop Art movement of the 1960s brought screenprinting to a whole new level. Artists experimented with colors and textures that were not reproducible in other artistic mediums. Andy Warhol was the figure who elevated screenprinting to high art, using it for iconic paintings on canvas and portfolios on paper.
Today, screenprinting as an art form is making a comeback. With digital prints being the norm, artists and art collectors alike are reaching out for original prints once again. The quality and saturation of color as well as the screenprint-specific characteristics are what bring people back to this exciting artistic medium.
Click here to see more of Andy Warhol’s colorful screenprints on paper!