Can lithographs be considered paintings?

Question

I was asked if Juan Luna's Death of Cleopatra is a painting. So far all that i have learned is that it is a lithograph. Can lithographs be considered paintings

Answer 1

A lithograph can be A: a work of art traditionally created by printing an image from a stone plate. (Litho = Stone, Graph = Print.) These types of prints are not referred to as paintings, but they can be considered valuable works of art

B: a mass-produced image created from a photograph of an original painting (or other work of art) and reproduced using the printing process of offset lithography.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithograph

From the little information I can find on this artist, all his works are referred to as paintings. I think it would be safe to assume that any lithograph bearing his name would be a mass produced reproduction of an original work. Depending on how many were printed & whether the artist signed the print (2 signatures, on on the painting & one below), it may or may not have great monetary value (fewer prints, signed print = higher value).

Answer 2

No darlin - it is a different process. (Whew, it's been a long time since I did this...)

Painting is the application of an often liquid medium onto the surface of what is often a canvas. (Some paints come in a crayon like form, some folks use alternative mediums...)

Lithography is a process by which an etching onto wood, metal or other medium is then inked, the paper is applied and the etching is run through the pressing force of a printing press. (It is more often on metal with the lithography inks.)

I was taught to take an aluminum board, paint it with a thick black medium - let dry, then etch my illustration into the black background. We then used acid to eat away the exposed metal, then after neutralizing the acid - to use acetone to remove the black paint. Ink was then rolled into the creveces where the acid ate away the metal - and the excess was wiped off. Paper was laid on top of the metal board, along with heavy blankest and the whole thing was rolled in a printing press to create a lithograph print.

...Now, that is a HIGHLY simplified version of what happens, but a painting is an original work. A Lithograph is one of many copies.

On an original Lithography has two numbers separated by a slash. XX/XXX it indicates that this is copy number "x" of "x" number of total copies.

With today's technologies - a lithograph of fantastic color range and variety is possible with many millions of copies.

The fewer the total number of Lithographs - the more valuable the print. Also - the smaller the number OF the print - the more valuable still. ...So the lithograph with the highest value would be one marked: 1/1.

I hope this helps. Peace - De

Answer 3

No, a lithograph is a high quality print.

Answer 4

no! they are ORIGINAL prints, like an etching or a wood/linocut. They are made in EDITIONS from one PLATE made by the artist.
The practice is called PRINTMAKING. Litho's use a stone as a plate and a waxy crayon to make the image on the stone.as the artists plate. Etching uses (a weak acid) and a copper or zinc plate as the plate.(intaglio) to make the image. A lino or woodcut uses lino or wood. So:

Answer 5

i dont think so...iits printmaking .

lithographs go through a series of chemical processes

Answer 6

They have value as work of art but are not paintings are prints

Answer 7

yes they are

Answer 8

no, lithos are lithos