Untitled 

This 'Untitled' print was created by Adrien Dax, who died in 1979. We can see here the techniques of lithography, which involves applying ink to a treated stone or metal plate, and then using pressure to transfer the image onto paper. Notice how the texture of the stone is subtly visible through the dispersed composition. Dax uses the planographic process, which is neither purely additive nor subtractive. The resulting image, with its mottled surface and diffused patches of color, has a deliberately unrefined quality. The lithographic process allowed for the relatively quick creation of multiple impressions. In this way, Dax's art enters the wider social issues of labor and consumption, playing with conventional printmaking techniques for his unique aesthetics, instead of mass production. It's a reminder that even in so-called 'fine art', the physical qualities of the medium, the hand of the artist, and the social context of production are always present.