Before the printing press existed, printmaking was not considered an art form. It was seen as a form of communication. It was only in the 18th century that art prints began to be seen as originals, and then in the 19th century, artists began producing limited editions of their work and signing those prints so that the work could be authenticated.
Engraving is as old as rock art when it was used not only on stones and bones, but also on cave walls. Around 3,000 years ago, the Sumerians etched designs on cylindrical stone seals. However, historians believe that it was the Chinese who were responsible for the first form of printing in the 2nd century AD, which they did by rubbing. However, the first authentic engravings were made in the mid-8th century by the Japanese, which consisted of tracings of blocks of wood turned into Buddha amulets.
Europeans were printing textiles in the sixth century, but printing on paper began later when paper-making technology arrived from the Far East. The first paper was produced in 1151 in Játiva, Spain. In the 15th century, the first woodcuts printed on paper were in the form of playing cards. Just before that, Henry VI made the first royal seals and stamps.
A few decades after the woodcut, metal engraving began. It was an art used only by goldsmiths and weapon makers. The oldest printed engraving is from 1446, which is a German print. Germany gets credit for developing rotogravure printing from where it came to Italy and the Netherlands.
In the 17th century, the print was considered an ornamental decoration throughout Europe. This form of engraving was mainly used to decorate portraits and paintings. Gravure printing at this time was done with the help of acid, as artists at that time considered it a work of creativity. Although the engraving was done mainly in Italy, most of the engraving artists were foreigners such as Jacque Callot and Claude Lorrain from France and José de la Ribera from Spain. In the Netherlands, the engraving was done by the master painter Rmbrandt, who produced about 300 engraved plates.
In the 18th century, all engraving was concentrated in Italy with the rise of Tiepolo. It is believed that Francisco Goya was greatly influenced by Tiepolo. Then came Canaletto, considered the most important architectural engraver, making around 3,000 architectural engravings.
By the 19th century, printmaking had reached France, and engravers such as Ingres, Delacroix, Theodore Rousseau, and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot were in great demand. Impressionists such as Manet and Degas are also considered to have been important printmakers during that period.
In the first half of the 20th century, the engravers were led by Pablo Picasso, and later by Málaga. In fact, Picasso is credited with making France the hotbed of printmaking. Then came Braque, Matisse, Rouault, Chagal, Joan Miro, Max Ernt, Jan Arp and Salvador Dalí, among many others. Germany saw the likes of Emil Nolde, Max Beckmann, George Grosz, Ernt Barlach, Erich Heckel, and Oskar Kokoschka. These were the expressionists.
In England, Henry Moore was busy creating sculptures and lithographs. While in the US, engravers such as George Wesley Bellows produced lithographs, etchings by John Sloan and Reginald March, and drypoint by Milton Avery. However, the most important engravers in the United States were Edward Hopper and Ben Shahn.