Page 66 - The 70s - ABC of the material

Lithographer Freek Kuin was closely engaged in the 80s with the printing of the book maria van elk:
Drawing 1973 – 1980. One of the major challenges he was placed for then was the getting ready for
print of the Topological Symmetries.

‘White paper with extremely fine threads with even more fine soft shadows and magnificently printed
on white glossy photographic paper.
As the printer looks at this in the 80s a curt NJET follows. I would like to but it is technically almost
impossible to convert this to raster photography.
The image has to be free from the background, or almost, but the so called foot of the raster does not
allow this.

As trainee at Johan Enschede and Sons I saw that lithographers had their own pots. No label of
a known brand, but their own brew with which secret tricks were carried out. As with making free
standing with halftone retouch on the raster negative. Normally red earth was used which sealed
everything like a slab of tar, but for this work of Maria van Elk white gloves and baby skins were
required.
The halftone retouch had to be applied softly for 20 to 30 times with intervals to dry, only then you
could get a soft development in your raster tints and shadows. Old times for sure, we now do it in an
instant on the computer.’

above
text Freek Kuin (2014)
below
Topological Symmetry (1976)
Drawing – ink & thread | 50 x 50
collection Maria van Elk

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