Contemporary printmaking : the nature and development of an identity in technique and form

The dissertation sets out to consider the development of printmaking forms, during the course of the twentieth century, in order to trace the conceptual and technical concerns which, in particular, have defined the nature of a contemporary identity in relation to the visual arts as a whole. It is proposed that printmaking and printforms possess a unique identity because they form a link between art and a technology in which certain common denominators are a fundamental part of both. Therefore the nature of this identity is particularly of its time in relation to a contemporary technology. This proposition is pursued through the consideration of a prevailing situation which specifies, in general terms, those concerns which currently define the nature of the printform. An historical observation isolates particular activities and events which have played a primary role in structuring both conceptual and physical developments. This is followed by the consideration of a contemporary situation which correlates the outcome of the historical process in relation to current activity in printforms and technique. A dialogue relates the contentions of the main argument to the concerns of the practical print works produced in parallel with the dissertation.