Graphic arts is a general term for drawing and other techniques used to reproduce words and pictures. The techniques include block printing, engraving, etching, lithography, and silk-screen printing. Painting was once considered one of the graphic arts, but today it is generally considered a separate art form.
The graphic arts are used both commercially and in the fine arts. Commercially, the graphic arts are used in advertising to prepare newspaper and magazine illustrations, posters, and brochures and pamphlets. Other commercial uses include art reproduction, bookmaking, and fashion design. In the fine arts, many artists have created masterpieces of engraving, etching, and other graphic arts. These artists include Albrecht Dürer of Germany, Francisco Goya and Pablo Picasso of Spain, and Rembrandt of the Netherlands.
Until the 1400’s, manuscripts and illustrations had to be copied by hand, a laborious and often inaccurate process. After Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type in Europe about 1440, it became possible to print identical copies of books quickly. As more books were made available, the level of education increased. This increase helped bring about the growth of art, literature, and science during the Renaissance. By the end of the Middle Ages, block printing and engraving had become known in Europe. These and other techniques were sometimes used to make reproductions of artworks, especially before the beginning of photography in the early 1800’s. These graphic reproductions provided many people with their only exposure to fine art.
