The Genius of Lithography
Medium
crayon lithograph with brush and scratchwork
Dimensions
image: 19 × 16.3 cm · sheet: 26.7 × 19.9 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland
Accession Number
1999.39
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
male
About this artwork
The Genius of Lithography celebrates the new printmaking technique (invented in 1798) that revolutionized illustration and enabled the reproduction of images at a reasonable cost, since numerous impressions can be printed from the lithographic stone. Artists liked the medium's flexibility: while rich blacks could be achieved for shadows, and every tone of gray was possible, a sharp point could scratch white highlights into dark areas.