Heilige Hendrik II 1827

Johann Nepomuk Strixner created this monochromatic print of Heilige Hendrik II. The printmaking process is important to consider here. This is a work of lithography, a technique that emerged in the late eighteenth century, and depends on the chemical repulsion of oil and water. Strixner would have drawn the image on a flat stone surface with a greasy crayon, then treated it with acid. The stone would then be dampened, and greasy ink applied, sticking only to the drawing. When pressed to paper, the image would transfer. Lithography enabled the relatively quick reproduction of images, making art more accessible to a broader public. With its graphic clarity and sharp contrasts, it was very much of its moment, and very different from the painstaking labor of earlier printmaking techniques like engraving. Strixner’s choice of lithography reflects a shift towards industrial modes of artistic production. It signals a move toward a more democratic art world, where images could be disseminated widely and rapidly.