Intaglio Simultaneous Color Printmaking

Book excerpt: Here is a straightforward, comprehensive reference on the art of color printmaking created by Krishna Reddy, one of the world's greatest and most innovative printmakers. This book doesn't expect the reader to know a lot, but at the same time, it doesn't omit any technical detail. There are complete formulas, lists of materials and equipment, and step-by-step instructions documented by photos. An outstanding innovator and experimenter, Krishna Reddy sees the plate as a sculpted surface, and intaglio printing as a three-dimensional process. Reddy creates a philosophy for working the image. By varying ink viscosity and roller density, he has achieved colors of extraordinary complexity on the plate. Reddy's discovery of the principle of color viscosity has greatly simplified technical processes while at the same time increasing the expressiveness and intensity of the image. This book demonstrates the intimate connection of the artist with his materials. Krishna Reddy's artistic genius brought him universal acclaim: fifty one-man exhibitions have been mounted not only in the U.S. and Europe, but also in Montreal, Bombay, Melbourne, New Delhi, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Beijing. He serves on numerous award juries, ranging from the Society of American Graphic Artists to the Lalit Kala Akademi of India. But it is not his artistic prowess alone that uniquely qualified Krishna Reddy to write a book on printmaking. He is also a consummate teacher: "He can initiate people to an entirely different field of expression," observes a collaborator at Paris' famed Atelier 17, which Reddy directed for more than 10 years. Today he directs the Graphics Program at New York University.