Traditional Lithography

Traditional Lithography is a centuries old practice of printmaking involving limestone blocks and a large amount of specialty equipment. An image is drawn (or painted) onto a sanded piece of stone using a grease-based medium and etched into the stone using acids. Once a mark is made, it is extremely difficult to remove it, so generally a lithography image must be especially precise or accepting of mistakes. The chemical process used in lithography etching utilizes the relationship between oil and water, creating a surface on the stone where the intial marks were made where only the grease-based ink will adhere. The stone is then carefully printed using a specialty printing press.

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I was extremely lucky to have access to the oldest lithography studio in the world, Litografia Bulla, to create the two projects below. Litografia Bulla is a family-owned and operated studio in Rome, Italy founded in 1818. It is currently run by Beatrice and Flaminia Bulla, who oversaw the execution and printing of La Donna and A Study in Craftsmanship (below). Both projects also feature a more in-depth look into the lithography printing process.