Wall Plate. Screen 1987

Patrick Caulfield made this screenprint called "Wall Plate" using, as the name suggests, the screenprinting process. Screenprinting is a technique that pushes ink through a mesh onto paper. Each color needs a different screen, requiring careful alignment. Look at the bold shapes and flat colors. Caulfield embraced the graphic potential of the medium. The stark contrast between the pale yellow circle and the black background gives the print a striking, almost industrial feel. Although screenprinting is often associated with commercial production, here, Caulfield elevates it to fine art. His clear, crisp lines and simplified forms speak to the aesthetics of mass production, but the careful layering of color reveals a hand-crafted quality. This challenges the traditional divide between the unique art object and the multiple, reproducible image. It's a democratic approach, making art accessible and blurring the lines between art and design.