5 of the Most Influential Prints Ever Produced

5 of the Most Influential Prints Ever Produced

18th May 2016 is International Museum Day in celebration we are taking a look at 5 highly influential prints.

1. ‘Rhinoceros’, Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

Dürer created this woodcut print of a rhinoceros in 1515, the image sold over 4000 copies during his lifetime. The rhino’s distinctive look is due to the fact that like many sixteenth century Europeans, Dürer had never actually set eyes on a rhino. He based the print on an Indian rhinoceros hastily sketched and described in a letter. Dürer was a prolific printer of his, era taking advantage of latest woodcut printing technology he was able to produce affordable prints for the masses. He singlehandedly created a new market for prints in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, truly making him one of the most influential printers in history. The rhinoceros is kept at The British Museum in London.

2. ‘Under the Wave, off Kanagawa’ by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) (1760-1849)

Hailed as one of the most iconic images in the world this nineteenth century Japanese woodblock print is housed at the British Museum in London. It influenced western artists such as Van Gogh and Monet and has inspired many adaptations since.

3. ‘Acanthus’ by William Morris (1834-1896)

William Morris is lauded as the founder of the Art Nouveau Arts and Crafts Movement in England. He created the most fashionable textiles and wallpapers of his era, designs which continue to sell today. His hand block printed wallpaper was unusual in its day as it rejected the need for mechanical intervention at a time when many traditional arts had become mechanised. This sample print is kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

4. ‘No title’ 1967, Andy Warhol (1928–1987)

Andy Warhol was the leading figure in the pop art movement of the 1960s, his series of screen prints of Marilyn Monroe are among his most recognisable works. The antitheses of William Morris, Warhol enjoyed silk screen printing for its speed and ability for mass production. He actually stopped personally making his prints, and instead had assistants and other artist create them on his behalf at his New York studio ‘The Factory’. A collection of Warhol’s prints are housed at the Tate in London (not currently on display).

5.Plato’s Atlantis, Alexander McQueen (1969–2010)

Designer Alexander McQueen has been described as a ‘fashion genius’, he combined precision tailoring with futuristic print designs. In 2015 the Victoria and Albert Museum held an exhibition of his work, which was one of the all-time most popular paid exhibitions in the UK. Plato’s Atlantis was the last fully completed collection McQueen created before his death in 2010. The collection was considered his greatest achievement and. The dresses were created by digitally printing layered photographic images onto silk. This piece, inspired by snakeskin, now resides at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.