00:00Behind every great artwork is often a story that never makes it onto the gallery wall.
00:04A new exhibition at the University of Liverpool's Victoria Gallery and Museum
00:07is shining a spotlight not only on the artists behind the collection
00:11but also on the skilled printmakers who helped bring those works to life.
00:16We're at the Victoria Gallery and Museum on Brownlow Hill
00:19and we've got more than 40 artworks on display
00:22exploring the printmaking practice of seven different artists.
00:26So we start the exhibition looking at Dorothea White's artwork.
00:30So she was an amazing artist and printmaker who founded Studio Prints in 1968.
00:37She was fresh out of art college, had printed some of the work of some of her fellow students
00:42and some of her teachers, really took to it and got a loan to get herself a printing press
00:48and from there she was away and she ended up running that print studio for more than 40 years
00:55and built a really strong reputation for the amazing work that she did.
00:59The exhibition brings together works by a number of significant British artists
01:03including Lucian Freud, Stephen Conroy and Celia Poole.
01:07It also includes prints created by Dorothea White herself
01:10and her husband, artist and master printer Mark Balachian.
01:15The great thing about printmaking is that an artist might have a vision for what they want to produce
01:21but ultimately they can't do it alone.
01:23They need to work with a printer to kind of take their vision to its kind of conclusion
01:30and it's a really collaborative process with conversations between the artist and printer
01:35about what they want the artwork to look like
01:37and ultimately the printmaker bringing their amazing skill and technical ability.
01:41Studio Prints developed a reputation for producing high quality artist prints
01:45during a period when demand for contemporary printmaking was growing rapidly.
01:50The workshop became known for its close collaboration between artists and printers
01:53with technical expertise playing a vital role in turning artistic ideas into finished works.
01:59There is a lot to see but I'm really inviting people to spend time
02:03so the exhibition is free to enter.
02:05So I just encourage people just to stand and look and think about both the subject matter
02:10but also the way it was created.
02:13Making a Mark Artworks from the Studio Prints Collection
02:16runs until the 30th of January 2027.
02:20The free exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to explore the artistry,
02:24craftsmanship and collaboration behind some of Britain's most notable printmakers.
02:28Looking at the process reminds you that there's always kind of trial and error
02:32when producing a final artwork.
02:34It doesn't just come from isolation.
02:37Like Leon Kossoff spoke about the fact that he felt like he couldn't draw
02:41so he drew every day because he wanted to learn to draw.
02:46He wanted to increase his skills.
02:48So I think that we're, as adults, we're often quite critical
02:52if we can't immediately draw like Rembrandt.
02:54We just don't do it when actually there's joy in just creating.
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