What Are Giclees?
Giclees are images of two-dimensional art produced by an ink jet printer. The image may be a reproduction of an original painting, drawing or photograph, or a print of digitally created art. The term was coined by a print maker who worked with artists to create reproductions of their artwork.
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Facts
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The term "giclee" (zhee-clay) was coined in the early 1990s by Jack Duganne, a print maker working in California, to describe a high-quality reproduction of fine art. Duganne derived the name from the French word "gicler," meaning "to squirt or spray." The term refers to the process by which ink is delivered to the medium on which the image is printed. There are two types of giclees: images that are reproduced from original paintings or drawings, and images that are created by digital artwork or photography.
History
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Prior to Duganne's coining of the term giclee, prints created by ink jet printers were called "Iris prints" or "Iris proofs" in reference to the Iris Printer, popular in the late 1980s. Prints produced by the Iris were used by commercial printers to proof colors before running a print job. Duganne realized the usefulness of such a high quality printer and wanted to make a distinction between ordinary digital prints and "fine art prints." While preparing a show for artist Diane Bartz, Duganne searched for a term that would raise the level of consumer perception of prints made from original works of art. He decided that a French term could be appropriate and he chose a word that describes the process by which the prints are produced. "Giclee" was accepted by the printing industry and the art community.
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Process
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Giclees are made from images printed with a high-resolution ink jet printer. Ink jet nozzles squirt the pigment onto a surface, mixing colors to exactly replicate the original artwork. The image can be printed on a variety of surfaces including canvas, paper, glass and ceramics. Artists may embellish the image by adding color, texture and design to the reproduction by hand. This process produces an image that, according to Giclee Printer Review, "is quite simply the closest replication of an original artwork that is currently possible." For that reason, giclees have been widely accepted by galleries, museums and artists.
Standards
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Maintaining high standards in the production of giclees is important to artists and print makers. Continual improvements in digitization and printing technology have contributed to the evolution of the process and quality of the product. The popularity of giclees dictates that the printing industry maintains high quality in production and profitability.
Benefits
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A high-quality giclee is difficult to distinguish from the original image. Giclees printed with archival quality inks onto archival paper last as long as the original work from which it was reproduced, but sell for much less, allowing the artist to reach a broader audience. Giclees can be produced quickly and economically and can provide additional income from a single work of art. Whether a single reproduction is printed or a number of limited editions are made, the artist can keep the original work or sell it, retaining the right to produce copies in the future.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Oil on Canvas, Original Artwork by Grayson Harper, Karl Thibodeaux, photographer
