Lithographs are one of the most intricate pieces of art that can be found, requiring much attention to detail and a lot of time in order to create a piece that is what the artist had envisioned. Lithography itself is a relatively new art form, having been invented at the very end of the 18th century. Let’s take a quick look at how this popular art form came about.
Alois Senefelder
Alois Senefelder was an Austrian actor and playwright, born in 1771. Like many playwrights, Senefelder often encountered trouble when it came to actually making money off of his work, and in 1796 he found himself truly in trouble. With no one willing to publish his play and deep in debt, Senefelder for some reason decided to try is own hand at printing (he wished to print up his most recent play, but could not go through an established printer due to his debts).
Senefelder used an acid resistant ink to etch his play on fine grained limestone, and thus the first lithograph was created. From there, Senefelder proceeded to experiment further and found that the process could be completed using just the flat surface of the stone alone. This was the first recorded time that planographic printing occurred. In 1818 Senefelder secured the patent rights for his technique; although he wanted to call it stone printing the French term lithograph became the more popular label.
Senefelder gradually worked his printing process into the area of art, as he realized that a picture could be achieved without the need of special tools. By 1837, lithography had developed to the point that full colour lithographs were being produced.
Further developments
As with any art medium, lithography continued to develop after the passing of its originator (Senefelder died in 1834). The art from became very popular in the1870s, when a number of artists, particularly those from France, began producing their work using the lithograph technique. Today, experimentation in the art continues using methods which include nanoimporint, X-rays, and ultraviolet lighting.
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