The Technical Evolution Of Watermark Printmaking And The Research On The Physical Properties Of The Medium

In this dissertation,the evolution of the millennium watermark printmaking technique is combed through from a theoretical point of view,followed by a quantitative study of the materiality of the watermark medium in order to deepen people’s knowledge and attention to the history of watermark printmaking technique and material science.China is the first country in the world to use water-based pigments for woodblock printing.As an indirect marking art,printmaking has a direct impact on the final visual presentation of the work by the material characteristics and various expression techniques involved in the plate making and printing process.The most artistic watermark prints in the history of printmaking come from the unique ontological quality of the marks.Based on different plate characteristics,plate making means and printing techniques,watermark prints form a variety of forms,different marks and style differences.The development of watermark prints has been made possible by the invention of new printing techniques and new materials.The development of printmaking that accompanies the art of printing has always gone hand in hand with the improvement of the plate,paper and pigment properties,as well as the development and expansion of plate making technology,printing tools and printing technology.It can be seen that the materials and techniques of printmaking are the conditions for the production of printmaking,the basis of existence and the premise of development,and the formation of watermark printmaking language system also leads to this,through which we can also understand the laws and prospects of printmaking development.The ontological language of watermark printmaking is a meaningful imprint formed by the knife,wood,rhyme,etc.that comes from the plate.The exploration of the imprinted language is like learning a language,a rich vocabulary that can only be expressed in a meaningful way.This thesis combed the formal language system and the technical language system of watermark prints,and analyzed the visual form renewal of watermark prints brought about by the purification of language and innovative techniques to illustrate the importance of expanding the language of watermark prints.The contemporary transformation of printmaking is reflected in the mediumization of printmaking and the construction of the context of the print expression system.In the current artistic creation,due to the needs of artists’ conceptual expression,it is obvious that the original conventional printing technology can no longer meet,which requires technological innovation.In recent years,with the challenges of new technologies and media such as digital,contemporary watermark prints have also opened up new opportunities.Using their signature techniques and artistic presentations,the highly creative artists have given watermark prints a new aesthetic interest and spiritual connotation in the contemporary context.At different stages of history,from the evolution of the technical support of watermark prints and the use of materials can be seen that the tradition is moving forward,what lies behind its development is a vein of printmaking development,it is a functional transformation,a transformation in artistic expression.This study starts from the technique and medium,but it is in fact a study of what is behind the material.The evolution of the technique and the materiality of the medium are the basis for the transformation of traditional printmaking into contemporary printmaking.