Vampire I 

Edvard Munch made this print, titled "Vampire I," using lithography, a process that's all about the tension between surfaces that attract and repel. Munch would have drawn his design with a greasy crayon onto a smooth slab of limestone. Then, he'd treat the stone so that only the drawn areas would hold ink, while the rest repelled it. The printmaker then dampens the stone, rolls ink over it, and presses paper against it to transfer the image. You can really see the hand of the artist in the final print. Look at the texture and the variation in line weight, which show the directness of the drawing process. Lithography, while a printmaking technique, allowed for a uniquely intimate and expressive mark. This challenges the traditional hierarchy that elevates painting over printmaking. Ultimately, it is the trace of the artist's hand and creative decisions that brings emotional depth to the work.