“I am pleased to know that Durjoy Rahman Joy a young art enthusiastic has arranged a print exhibition from his private collection. I am taking a keen interest in his endeavor due to my own affiliation with print making. This exhibition will give art enthusiast a glimpse of the rare works of Bangladeshi print makers as well as renowned modern masters.
The practice of print making is becoming less popular among artists of Bangladesh due to shortage of proper studio or atelier and scarcity of equipment, stationery and materials. Art enthusiastic are sometimes unable to comprehend the need for multiple editions of a plate and look for the original version. Through knowledge of the process of print making is essential to eliminate this misconception. Thus the popularity of prints mostly remains with seasoned art connoisseur and collectors who are aware of the painstaking detailed process involved in print making.
Joy’s interest in print making may have been derived from his visits to overseas galleries and renowned auctions houses, where the popularity of prints are at high demand. He may have realized the recent trend of young artists to move away from print making and the current show is an effort to re-candle the interest in print making. I applaud his effort and wish him success in this endeavor. “
Best Wishes.
Prof. Rafiqun Nabi.
Dean – Arts Faculty.
University of Dhaka.
March 20, 2009.
তরুন সংগ্রাহক দুর্জয় রহমান জয় তাঁর ছাপচিত্র সংগ্রহের ভান্ডার থেকে কিছু শিল্পকর্ম সমঝদারদের দেখাবার প্রচেষ্টা নিয়েছেন জেনে আমি আনন্দিত। সেই সাথে ছাপচিত্র চর্চার সাথে জড়িত একজন হিসাবে ব্যাপারটিতে কৌতূহল ও বোধ করছি।
কৌতূহলের দুটি কারণ , এক শুনেছি দেশি-বিদেশী বেশ কিছু নামি শিল্পীর কাজ প্রদর্শিত হবে, আর দুই-সংগ্রাহকের ছাপচিত্রের প্রতি বিশেষ দুর্বলতা প্রসূত সংগ্রহটি কোন আমলের এবং অদেখা কাজে ভরপুর সকলের তা প্রত্যক্ষ করার সুযোগ।
জয় জানিয়েছে তাঁর এই প্রদর্শণীর ইচ্ছেটা আসলে মাধ্যমটিকে জনপ্রিয় করে তোলা, উধ্বুদ্ধ করার জন্য। চর্চার ব্যাপকতা বাড়ানও। বিদেশের বড় বড় চিত্রশালা এবং নিলাম ঘরে ছাপচিত্রের কদর দেখে তিনি উৎসাহিত বোধ করেছেন এই প্রদর্শনীটি করার।
আমাদের দেশে ছাপচিত্র চর্চার ব্যাপকতা এবং কদর ইদানং যথেষ্ট কমে এসেছে। কথাটি খুব অমূলক নয়। পেইন্টিংয়ের জনপ্রিয়তার কারণে বেশ খানিকটা পিছিয়ে পড়েছে ছাপচিত্রের চর্চা। করণকৌশলের দিকটি নিয়ে ভাবলে পেইন্টিং নানা কারণেই সহজতর বলে প্রতীয়মান হয়। ক্রেতাদের মোহও পেইন্টিংয়ের প্রতি বেশি। সেই অর্থে ছাপচিত্রে তাবত খুবই বিদগ্ধ শিল্পকলা রসিক কিংবা মাধ্যমটির খুঁটিনাটি যাদের জানা শুধু তাদের মধ্যেই সীমাবদ্ধ। আসলে মাধ্যমটির গুণগত, ভাবগত এবং করণকৌশলগত মহাত্মগুলি সম্বন্ধে বিশদ না জানা থাকলে প্রকৃত রস গ্রহণ সম্পূর্ণতা পাই না।
শিল্পীরা অবশ্য মাধ্যমটি থেকে সরে আছেন অন্যসব নানাবিধ কারণে। তার মধ্যে একান্ত নিজস্ব স্বয়ংসম্পূর্ণ ষ্টুডিও বা এ্যাটেলিয়ার অভাবটিই প্রধান।এমনিতেই কষ্টসাধ্য ছাপচিত্রের প্রতিটি মাধ্যমই। করণকৌশলের টেকনিক্যালিটি যথাযত বজায় রাখতে প্রয়োজনীয় যন্ত্রপাতি, তৈজসপত্র ইত্যাদি প্রয়োজন। এর জন্য প্রয়োজন পর্যাপ্ত স্থান।
শিল্পকলা রসিকদের অনেকেই ছাপচিত্রে একই বহু অনুলিপির ব্যাপারটি এখনও মেনে নিতে পারেন না। অনেকে অনুলিপিতে মূল চিত্রটি খোঁজেন। এই বিভ্রান্তি কাটিয়ে উঠার জন্য আসলে ছাপচিত্রের পদ্ধতিগত দিক জানতে হবে।
জয় সেইটি অনুধাবন করেছেন , এবং বিভ্রান্তি নরসনে একটি পদক্ষেপ হিসেবে এই প্রদর্শনীকে যদি ধর্তব্য জ্ঞান করি তবে বলতেই হয় যে তরুণ সংগ্রাহক জয় একটি বোরো কাজ করলেন।
শুভেচ্ছান্তে
প্রফেসর মোঃ রফিকূন নবী
ডীন
চারুকলা অনুষদ
ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়
মার্চ ২০, ২০০৯
” Everyone wants to understand art. Why don’t we try to understand the sous of a bird? Why do we love the night, the flowers everything around us, without trying to understand them? But in the case of a painting, people think they have to understand. If only they would realize above all that an artist works of necessity, that he himself is only an insignificant part of the world, and that no more importance should be attached to him than to plenty of other things which please us in the world, through we can’t explain them. People who try to explain pictures are usually barking up wrong tree.”
– PICASSO
” What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who only has eyes if he is a Painter, or ears if he is a musician, or has a lyre at every mood of his heart if he is a Poet, or even, if he is a boxer. just his muscles? On the contrary! He is at the same time a political being, constantly alive to world events that can be heart-rending, fiery or happy, and he responds to them with his whole kin. How could he possibly not show any interest in other people but put on an ivory indifference and detach himself from the life which he has received so abundantly? No, painting was not invented to decorate houses. It is an instrument of war for attack and defense against the enemy.”
– PICASSO
“Abstraction মোটেই ফাঁকি বাজি নয়, তবে কল্পনাশক্তি এবং প্রয়োগিক মুন্সিয়ানা আয়ত্তে আসতে হবে। পাকা হাতের কাজ আর সুবিধাবাদির কেচোগণ্ডূষ সনাক্ত করা কঠিন কিছু নয়। চোখ যাদের তৈরী হয়েছে তাদের জন্যে ভালোমন্দ ধরতে পারা মোটেই কোনো ব্যাপার নয়। চোখ অনেক কাজ দেখতে দেখতে আসলটা ঠিকই সনাক্ত করতে পারে। তবে চোখ থাকলেই সব মানুষ দেখেন না যেমন কান থাকলেই সব মানুষ শোনেননা। We learn appreciation through appreciation not all of a sudden”
—- শিল্পী আবু তাহের
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN PRINT MAKING
| AQUATINT
An etching process in which tone is created by treating a plate with fine particles of acid-resistant material (like powdered resin) and then placing the plate in an acid bath. The acid bites into the plate between the grains of resin and, when printed, the mass of tiny spots produces a textured area with tonal effects similar to watercolor wash. DRY POINT An intaglio process in which a plate is marked or incised directly with a needle. The drypoint line can look very much like an etched line but is usually lighter and characterized by the existence of burr. INTAGLIO All matrices which have either been cut into or “bitten” into. The resulting “dug out” lines are printed. Intaglio processes include etching, aquatint, engraving, mezzotint and metal engravings, among others. ETCHING An intaglio process in which a plate is treated with an acid-resistant ground. The artist then draws through the ground with various tools to expose the metal. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath where the acid “bites” or chemically dissolves the exposed lines. The metal plate is therefore “carved” or “etched” by the acid rather than by a tool directly in the metal. LITHOGRAPHY A planographic printing process where a drawing is made directly on a stone or other smooth matrix with greasy materials such as lithographic crayon. The surface is then dampened with water, which is repelled by the greasy areas. The surface is then rolled with greasy printing ink which adheres only to the greasy areas and is itself repelled by the areas which have water. The drawn image is then printed. LINOCUT / LINOLEUM CUT A relief process, like a woodcut , where the artist carves the design out of the linoleum or linoleum mounted onto wood, what remains is printed, rather than what is cut away. rather than what is cut away. MEZZOTINT An intaglio method in which the entire surface of the plate is roughened by a spiked tool (“rocker’) so that, if inked, the entire plate would print in solid black. The artist then works from “black” to “white” by scraping (or burnishing) out areas to produce lighter tones. WOODCUT Arelief technique where the image or design is left raised above what is carved | out of the wood. What is not carved is printed.
MONOTYPE A unique image printed from an unworked, smooth, metal or glass surface printed in ink by the artist. MONOPRINT Aprint which has as its base an etching, lithograph or woodcut and which is then uniquely altered by monotype coloring, unique inking or choices in paper color. OFFSET PRINTING Method of printing in which the inked image from a lithographic stone, a metal plate or other matrix is first transferred to an intermediary such as a rubber cylinder or blanket and then to paper, thus creating an image in the same direction as the original. PHOTO-ETCHING / PHOTOGRAVURE An intaglio process which an image is produced on an etching plate by photographic means. (See also Heliogravure) PHOTO-LITHOGRAPH A process in which an image is produced on a lithographic plate by photographic means. HELIOGRAVURE A method of making a photo-etched or photogravure plate using an aquatint texture directly on the plate to create tone. SCREENPRINT / SILKSCREEN A printing process using stencils to block out areas which are then printed through silk, other fabric or metal mesh. SOFT-GROUND ETCHING An etching technique where a soft ground is laid on the metal plate. The artist draws onto a piece of paper which is laid down on top of the ground. The ground adheres to the paper where the pencil or other tool has pressed down into it through the paper and pulls away when the paper is lifted. The resulting “marked” plate is placed in an acid-bath where the acid “bites” into the more exposed areas where the ground has been “lifted”. The line created is often soft and grainy. RELIEF PRINTING When the image is printed from the raised or uncarved portion of the matrix. Relief processes include woodcuts and linocuts, among others. EMBOSSING A process used to create a raised surface or raised element, but printed without ink. |
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN PRINT MAKING
| ENGRAVING
An intaglio proce5s in which a plate is marted or incised directly with a burin oi other metal-marking tool. No acid is used in this process since the design is dug out by hand. An engraved line can range from very deep and wide, to lighter and thinner and is often characterized by a pointed end signaling the exit of the ’v” shaped bunn from the metal. ARTIST’S PROOF I EPREUVE D’ARTISTE Impressions printed especially for the artist and exduded from the numberin9 of an edition, but exactly like the editioned prints in every other respect. Usually appears as “A.P.” or “E.A.” EDITION The total number of impressions pulled of a singleimage or set of images from the same matrix. To this number the artist usually authorizes the addition of a small number of artist’s, printer’spubIisher’s and other proofs. STATE An impression taken from the plate at aparticular moment or stage of development and istinguished from impression taken at other times during thatprocess. The final State is the state from whicheditions are generally pulled, although some artistspull several impressions in each state. HORS-COMMERCE I “B . C .” Meaning “outside of the commercial edition”, these proofs, not originally intended for sale, are exduded (rom the numbering of an edition, but are otherwise exactly like the editioned prints in every other respect. PRINTER’S PROOFS Impressions printed especially for the printer(s) and exduded from the numbering of an edition, but exactly in every other respect. Usually appears PROGRESSIVE PROOFS Series of proofs taken to show each individual color plate and each combination of them culminating in the final, complete version. CANCELLATION PROOF When the edition is complete, the matrix- a block, plale, stone, mylar or other- is effaced, crossed out or otherwise “cancelled” An impression is then taken from this matrix showing that the plate has been ”cancelled”. This ensures that no further uncancelled impressions can be pulled. | MASTER PRINTER
A highly skilled printer who works very closely with the artist to produce the edition. PUBLISHER The person or entity who subsidizes and often,initiates the making of a print edition or portfolio and who also disseminates the prints. BLINDSTAMP / CHOP The embossed, inked, or stamped symbol used by printers and print workshops, usually in the margin of the paper as a mark of identification. WATERMARK Design in the paper seen when held against the light A manufacturer’s mart, it is used to trace the origin and date of the paper. BURR When using a drypoint needle or other engravin9 tool to draw directly into a metal plate, small, fine pieces of metal are raised up on both sides of the scored line, This burr holds additional ink dun’ng the printing process and gives the lines a velvety or (uzzy texture. Burr is very delicate and consequently is easy worn down during the pressure of the pnnting process. Early pulls or impressions aken from such plates are characterized by r›ch burr. In the case of Old Master prints especially, the quantity and evidence of burr can sometimes be used as an aid in delemining how early the impression was pulled. CARBORUNDUM The trade name for silicon carbide, carborundum began its use in pn”ntmaking as an abrasive which was used in efacing lithographic stones The particles, when mixed together with glue can also be used to draw on a plate- sometimes creating a raised surface-\which is then inked and printed with the ink being held in the spaces between the particles. The resulting prints are often textured due to the raised areas of the printing surface. PLATE MARK The imprint in the paper resulting from fhe edge of a metal plate being pushed into it during the pressure of the printing process. CATALOGUE RAISONNE A scholarly catalogue which should include all the known works by an artist at the time of publication. Essential infomation by which works are identified is included. |
