| Prints are a paradoxical medium. The product of advances in the twin technologies of printing equipment and paper making in the Renaissance, they are among the most mechanical of arts. Yet prints are also exceptionally intimate and personal. The process of developing the finished design by printing preliminary “states” records the decision-making steps of the artist more precisely than any other medium. And, even though a print by definition is an “exactly repeatable pictorial statement,” in the words of print connoisseur William M. Ivins Jr., each impression has its unique character—produced by variations of ink, paper, inscriptions, and condition. Because prints are multiples, there is a commercial aspect to their production, and they are often the least expensive art objects a collector could buy. Yet the medium of ink and paper has its own expressive qualities, and certain prints are regarded as among the greatest works of art of all time. |
 Hendrik Goltzius (Dutch, 1558-1617) Urania, late 16th century Engraving on paper Gift of James Bergquist, Class of 1970 (70.31) |
