No printmaking research would be complete without reference to Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. Credited with being the inventor of the monotype, using the reductive technique whereby the plate is inked and rags, brushes, fingers or other implements are used to remove the ink and create the image.
Unlike the other printers from whom I have drawn inspiration, early monoprint and monotype artists, Castiglione and Rembrandt, produced very detailed images. Working in monochrome, Rembrandt would take ‘repeat’ prints by adding to or further reducing, his images with each pull.
Castiglione produced monotypes depicting religious imagery and the use of monochrome as well as the strong textural lines, give the images a very powerful, dramatic impact. The creation of Adam and the Nativity with Angels are cases in point:
Whilst I do not feel a particular affinity with religious iconography, I find the use of line, light and shade fascinating and most inspiring. These images challenge my perception that monotype and monoprint are best suited to abstract or impressionistic prints. I would like to experiment with producing prints that have greater detail than I had previously imagined.
Akuainks.com. (2017). History of the Monotype. [online] Available at: http://www.akuainks.com/newsletters/newsletterhist.html [Accessed 6 Apr. 2017].
Royalcollection.org.uk. (2017). Monotype. [online] Available at: https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/castiglione/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace/monotype#/ [Accessed 6 Apr. 2017].
En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Benedetto_Castiglione#Artistic_achievements [Accessed 6 Apr. 2017].