Printed on silk thread

Nov 03, 2012 - Age Correspondent

Song Taizu, founder of the Song dynasty

Screen printing is an art form that originated in China during the Song dynasty, between 960 and 1279 AD. When the Chinese devised it, it was silk fabric that was used in the printing process, but in modern times, polyester mesh replaced silk.

It took a while for the art form to catch up in the West, mainly because of the lack of availability of silk. But as trade from the East opened up, so did the inflow of silk fabric, and along with several technological leaps made in the early 1900s, the West was truly ready to embrace screen printing. Soon, the process was being used to make film posters, music album sleeves, clothes and more.
The form reached its pinnacle when Andy Warhol used it to create his now iconic image of Marilyn Monroe, pouting through a haze of overbright colours. From the sombre depictions of Chinese emperors to a Hollywood diva, screen printing had come a long way indeed.

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