American Monotypes from the Baker/Pisano Collection | Page 7

American Monotypes from the
Baker/Pisano Collection

M

onotype is the most direct print medium. The artist
paints on a smooth, impermeable surface, places a blank
piece of paper on top of the painting, and applies pressure so
that the painted image is transferred onto the paper. In the
hands of artists, of course, variations and developments of the
basic process are inevitable and in the late 1800s and in the
twentieth century, monotype inspired artists to explore a wide
range of its possibilities. Particularly in America, the monotype
became popular with influential artists and teachers who shared
the technique with their friends and students.1 As a result it was
taken up by many artists, each of whom brought to the monotype their own intentions and practices. As it passes from artist
to artist, the medium flourishes and diversifies, up to this very day.
For many of the artists who take it up, the great attraction of
the monotype is its directness. Other kinds o