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Graphics: a definition

Many people have little idea of the term graphics (or graphic written). While younger people tend to associate it with animated computer games, the older generation often understands it as pencil drawings.

To be precise, however, the word graphic is the umbrella term for all artistic and at the same time technical images. Typographies are also part of graphic art. In modern times, the term also refers to artistic prints, which are used almost everywhere.

The long tradition of printmaking

The first graphic techniques were not used by famous artists, but for the production of various devotional images for churches as well as for private use. It was not until the mid-15th century, when copperplate engraving, which is still famous worldwide, was developed, that printmaking became more and more popular among the artists of the time. One of their most famous representatives was Albrecht Dürer, who brought a wide variety of copperplate engravings to perfection. Many of them are still extremely famous today. For example, the picture "The Two Leaves, Knight Death and Devil" and the graphic "Melancolia I".

In the course of the following centuries, printmaking was constantly developed and numerous new processes were added. Another major breakthrough is known today as "lithography". It was invented by Alois Senefelder in 1803 and is considered to be the oldest flat printing process in the world, which enabled the widespread use of printing plates.

Printmaking processes at a glance

In addition to the already mentioned lithography and the historical copperplate engraving, we would like to mention a few other printing processes that have been used over the course of time for the production of valuable graphics. For example, the through-printing or screen printing or letterpress printing, which comes along with different cutting processes. Other historical representatives are the woodcut, the shot cut or the linocut. Intaglio printing, which in turn can be divided into etching processes and a manual stitching process, was also a popular method of producing graphics for a long time. In the meantime, the range of graphic processes is so wide that it is easy to lose track of them all.

Valuable graphics

Let us now come to the actual topic! Due to the long tradition of printmaking possibilities, countless pieces of art have been created over the centuries, which still have great value today and are highly sought after by numerous collectors.

It is not for nothing that you can currently find more than 200 valuable graphics of the most different artists and styles in our excellent offer. Some of them belong to modern art, while others are from much older eras. For example, a historical graphic in our assortment is "The Tricktrack Player" from the 17th century by Ostade Adriaen.

As different as the individual valuable graphics are, so are their prices. Some exhibits cost only a small three-digit amount, while other pieces of art have a value of several thousand euros. The price is calculated according to age, artist, condition and, of course, image.

Original graphics: Do they even exist?

Since graphics are not usually drawn by hand, the question of originality automatically arises. Is this even given for valuable graphics? Yes, it is! In this case, the artist must have executed the print himself, i.e. he must have operated the respective printing medium himself. In addition, the respective peculiarities of the printing process must be used as a means of expression for the image design. This means that original graphics should not only be printed by the artist himself, but should always be produced using the same printing process, which perfectly suits the respective image.