The Use of Wood Printing (X1) and Linoleum Printing (X3) from Progressive Color Relief Printing Techniques in Turkish Ex-Libris Art.

Abstract

With the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, the
reproduction of text-based books also increased. The work of illustrating
the books began to accelerate accordingly. In order to reach this speed,
painters made their designs on flat surfaced woods and created images
with carving tools, and produced many prints from the same image with
the molds obtained. On the one hand, while the pictures in the books were
reproduced by the painters, on the other hand, ex-libris pictures showing
the ownership of these books started to be made. Ex-libris making, which
is used as a property indicator in private collections and libraries, has
become an important branch of art over time and has been used in areas
such as gift giving, exhibitions and competitions. It has also created an
international and intercultural connection with activities such as ex-libris
competitions, biennials, galleries, exhibitions, museums, which have
increased in the last half century.
Along with the art of engraving, there have been technical developments in
the art of ex-libris. Especially in the 20th century, with the use of soft and
easily carved materials such as linoleum, multi-colored ex-libris paintings
began to be produced. The progressive color high printing technique, which
is performed on wood or linoleum material in the form of the lightest tone
of the first layer, the middle tone of the second layer and the darker tones
of the last layer, has attracted a great deal of attention in the country as
well as abroad. Turkish artists produced many colored ex-libris with wood
and linoleum materials, received awards in international competitions
with these works, entered museums and private collections, and became
popular in the field of books as well as in the art community.
In this study, there are examples of the works of Turkish artists who
made ex-libris using the Wood Printing (X1) and Linoleum Printing (X3)
techniques, which are progressive color high printing techniques. These
artists were determined as Hasip Pektaş, Reyhan Elbirliler, Nilgün (İleri)
Köseoğlu, Ali Doğan, Melihat Tüzün, Tezcan Bahar and Mehmet Susuz. One
of the artists’ works will be given visually and evaluated pictorially and
technically. It is expected that this article will contribute to the field of
ex-libris made with the progressive color high printing technique in Turkish
Ex-libris art.