“Have you done any printmaking?” asked Professor Philip Sutton. I was introduced to him by a London art dealer at the famous celebrity waterhole ‘Norman’s Coach and Horses’ .
It was early eighties and I was on a British council scholarship in London. Prof Sutton was in charge of graphic printmaking department at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. I told him about my yearlong stint in printmaking at ‘Garhi’ the community art workshop of the National Academy in Delhi. The professor invited me to visit his department. Equipped with all facilities, it was one of the finest printmaking sections I have ever come across. What attracted me most was the kind of experimental prints he was doing at that time. He created limited editions on copper sheets, which is usually used in making the etching plates. He taught me the technique of doing it, which was simple and interesting.
The printmaking scene in India was very vibrant then and there was a good market for graphic prints. The period saw the emergence of a number of well-known Indian printmakers. Eminent American printmakers like Carole Summers with his famous and Prof Paul Lingren from University of California, Los Angeles came to India and conducted many workshops, which was instrumental for the popularity of the medium. Contrary to the belief, the editions of prints that follow the international rules of printmaking and marketing is considered original work by artists.
A number of prominent art collectors and even beginners were collecting the prints as they are inexpensive and an original work. I remember Ibrahim Alkazi one of the prominent Indian art collectors buying a set of prints from my exhibition at Garhi. Another well-known collector of my works — Kiran Majumdar Shaw’s first acquisition was a print. While they all collected original paintings and sculptures, the patrons made it a point to collect editioned prints of artists.
Today even though the art market is much bigger and more organised, it is a different story as far as print medium is concerned. There were a number of artists who worked exclusively in printmaking. Many of them turned to painting and sculpture as it has become impossible for them to make ends meet by doing only prints. It is unfortunate that today’s patrons are not realising the importance of prints.
We hardly see galleries specialised in selling graphic prints, selling prints are not lucrative enough — the commission they make is negligible. The galleries are not educating the new buyers about the importance of graphic prints. On the contrary in Europe and the US, there are many galleries specialising in prints and they encourage their buyers to collect them.
I think it is basically the ignorance about the importance of this form of art. The main reason that puts off the buyer is that the print is not a single work of art like a painting or drawing. They are in a number of editions. But what the buyers do not understand is that each of them carry the signature of the artist and there is an international rule that controls the number of editions. The artist is allowed to have a few number of ‘artist’s proof’ for his personal collection. The number of editions are strictly specified and controlled. The original plate is crossed at the end of the production so that no more prints are made over the specified numbers.
“While I request our collectors to see the importance and practicality of collecting editioned prints, it is also necessary for the artists to innovate to make the prints more authentic and attractive” says R B Bhaskaran, one of India’s eminent printmakers.
The writer is a renowned artist.