As much as one would like to, not everyone is able to start their art collections with oil and canvas works by local and international bigwigs. This upwards trajectory from inception to maturity is partly why art collecting is both exciting and extremely addicting. As a person’s taste evolves, so too does the make up of their collection which serves as an indicator of where an individual’s interest is currently directed.
But what if we told you that you can still have the pleasure of including established names in your roster without making an eye-watering dent in your retirement fund?
Enter the complex and exciting world of multiple originals – more popularly known as ‘editions.’ These are basically fine prints, sculpture sets, and objets d’art produced in limited numbers by Philippine and international artists. We’ve come up with a user-friendly glossary to help you navigate through the different kinds of “collectible paper” that are increasingly popular on the auction block.
A/P (Artist’s Proof) An impression or trial proof of a plate that is pulled as it is being worked on by the artist. This is usually made to test color and consistency, and is not included in the numbered print run.
Bencab Search, 1986, Etching A/P from gavel&block editions I 2018
Aquatint A type of print that resembles watercolor that is produced in a copper plate etched with nitric acid.
Collage A technique and art form in which various objects like paper, fabric, etc. are assembled to create a composition.
Arturo Luz Black Collage 1 & 2, 2012, Acrylic and collage from Salcedo Auctions Important Philippine Art 2015
Collagraph The word is derived from the Greek word koll or kolla, meaning glue, and graph, meaning the activity of drawing. Collagraphy is a printmaking process in which materials are applied to a rigid substrate (such as paperboard or wood).
Digital print Digital printing refers to methods of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media.
Ronald Ventura Deco Deconstruction, 2017, Digital print on Hahnemühle FineArt paper 10/100 from gavel&block benefit 2018
Edition A set of numbered prints pulled from one plate, usually produced at the same time.
Engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it.
Bathelemy Lauvergne La Favorite, Au Mouillage Durant La Colla De Manille (La Favorite at anchor during a swell in Manila), 1835, Engraving from Salcedo Auctions The Well-Appointed Life: Connoisseur Collection 2019
Etching A form of printmaking in which the image to be printed is incised onto a flat surface, creating peaks and valleys. Ink is then forced into the valleys while excess ink on the peaks is wiped away and the image is printed on moist paper. There are various techniques to come up with different print results in etching, such as Reverse etching, Color etching, and Dry Point.
Juvenal Sanso A pair of etchings of ‘Eve,’ Undated, Etching 8/25 from Salcedo Auctions The Well-Appointed Life: Important Philippine Art 2018
Giclee Print A fine art digital print made on an Inkjet printer from a high resolution digital scan of the original artwork which allows for the rendering of accurate tonalities and hues of the original artwork.
Intaglio A family of printmaking techniques in which the image is incised onto a surface, creating valleys that hold ink. This includes etching and aquatint.
Lithograph A print produced through Lithography, a grease-based process of printmaking from a flat surface in which the image to be printed is made ink-receptive, while the negative space is inkrepellent.
Salvador Dalí Les Entre-Plats Sodomisés, 1971, Lithograph 200/395 from gavel&block editions 2017
Mezzotint A printmaking technique made from an engraved copper or steel plate on which the surface has been partially roughened, for shading, and partially scraped smooth, giving light areas.
Monoprint A one of a kind print pulled in an edition of one, with no other prints identical to it.
Offset Offset printing technology uses plates, usually made from aluminum, which are used to transfer an image onto a rubber “blanket” and then rolling that image onto a sheet of paper. The ink is not transferred directly onto the paper.
Offset Lithograph A process of lithographic printing in which the image is transferred to another surface first before it is transferred to the paper.
Pablo Picasso Comédie Humaine : Femme et peintre, Undated, Offset Lithograph from gavel&block editions I 2018
Photograveure A process in printmaking in which an image is photographically transferred onto a plate. The image is etched onto the plate, and then printed on a surface.
Photolithograph A lithographic print pulled from a photographically made plate.
Serigraph Also known as silk screening or screen printing, a serigraph is a print produced by pressing color onto a surface though a fabric stencil composed of open and closed sections.
Fernando Zobel Untitled, Undated (c. 1970s), Serigraph 96/100 from Salcedo Auctions Important Philippine Art 2016
Seriolithograph A printmaking technique that combines serigraphy and lithography that allows for a richly detailed print.
Woodblock A printmaking technique in which an image is carved onto a flat wooden surface, and then printed onto paper.
Woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique wherein an artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level
Paul Jacoulet Les Enfants Aux Yeux Jaunes. Ohlol, Est Carolines, 1940, Woodcut from Salcedo Auctions The Well-Appointed Life: Connoisseur Collection 2014
Have similar works that you want to consign to auction? Email us photos of your fine art prints at [email protected].
