Evolution of Water-Based Serigraphy: A Perspective on Indian Contemporary Printmaking
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n06.024Keywords:
genesis, serigraphy, China, revolution, water-based, non-toxicAbstract
The genesis of serigraphy is deeply rooted in the cultural era of ancient stencil printing during China’s Song Dynasty in 960 AD, and it later reached Japan, where it was technically refined. It reached the Middle East through the Silk Road, whereas stencil printing served the role of textile printing. Natural resource-based materials, equipment, leather, and silk-mesh stencils were used for the printing process. India also has a tradition of using stencils differently, notably in the Sanjhi art form. Serigraphy reached Europe through the Middle East in the 18th century. As a commercial medium, screen printing has served the consumers' needs. It became a major printing process in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries due to industrialisation. Advanced materials were introduced for the first production. But the toxic effects of those on human health and the environment became apparent over time. US-based creative artists first used water-based ink for serigraphy printing. With the wider use of commercial silk-screen printing in the mid-twentieth century, India saw a wider adoption of this technique. India practised this technique in the mid-twentieth century. Its adoption in institutional education and professional artistic practice took time, up to the 1960s. Both the commercial and creative fields used the hazardous PVC-based inks, materials, and solvents without judging their toxicity. The revival and development of sustainable water-based serigraphy played a role in the revolution of nontoxic printmaking.
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