The Picnic c. 1940

Veronica Helfensteller created this lithograph, called 'The Picnic', using a printmaking process that democratized image making. Lithography relies on the simple idea that oil and water don't mix. The artist would have drawn directly onto a flat stone with a greasy crayon, then treated the surface so that ink would adhere only to the drawn areas. This print would have been one of many identical images, pulled from the stone. The texture is crucial to the image. Helfensteller uses closely packed, almost frantic marks to build atmosphere and depth, from the densely wooded area to the figures, with an androgynous attendant leading a horse bearing a well-dressed woman. Note the crescent moon, and picnic laid out in the foreground. This slightly unsettling image gains power from its medium. Printmaking is about multiples, reproduction, and distribution - a far cry from the unique aura of a painting. Appreciating this context helps us see how images enter wider circulation and shape our shared culture.