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Drawing for reproduction in 19th-century cartography as a means to experience labor and time


David Lopes, i2ADS-FBAUP
Graciela Machado, i2ADS-FBAUP

 

 

Reproducing map drawings in the 19th century required prior knowledge of a set of graphic symbols used under specific rules and the use of specific drawing instruments. These signs are still integral to map-making and help communicate how the territory is organized and perceived. Treatises on technical drawing instructed printmakers on how to reproduce maps in lithography.


I will start by defining a collaborative research methodology based on replication, reenactment, and reconstruction of technological printmaking conditions, which will help contextualize that drawing for printmaking is drawing for reproduction. I’ll explain how lithography, which appeared commercially in the 19th century, helped maps to be produced faster and cheaper.


To enhance a haptic experience, I will be engraving on a lithograph stone during my practice-sharing, which will allow the audience to see how the cartographic image develops into intricate work typically found in historical maps. This will be possible using a magnifying glass in focus and displayed live by camera. The live demonstration will help the audience understand the time-consuming tasks related to drawing required in map-printing. On that note, and assuming that drawing can be a powerful form of embodiment of others' actions and gestures, I’ll argue that drawing for reproduction can be a vehicle to understand labor conditions in the 19th century.


In the second part of my presentation, I’ll explain how I transform this knowledge into my own artistic work: from small exercises of creative practice to long-term projects. The following will set three categories for reflection: (1) materiality as an ineludible anachronism; (2) personal traces as a poetic manifestation of the self, and (3) humor as a form of solace.

 

Keywords: 19th century cartography; Drawing for reproduction; map symbols; art-based research; lithography


Biography
David Lopes (b. 1993, Porto). Holds an MA in Drawing and Printmaking (2018) and a BA in Painting (2016) from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto. Currently, he's assisting and teaching Drawing at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, while attending the PhD in Fine Artes at FBAUP, as a non-doctoral researcher for i2ADS and as a grantee from the FCT (2020.09546). With particular interest in printmaking, David Lopes' work focuses on themes connecting History and Technology and Archives hoping to bring poetic insights into contemporary issues. (website: https://david-lopes.persona. co/).

 

Graciela Machado (b. 1970, Porto) She holds a Ph.D. in Drawing from the University of the Basque Country in Spain, with a thesis on "Time representation within the image".Has graduated BA in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts in the University of Porto and Master's in Printmaking at the Slade School of Fine Art London. She is an Associate Professor at FBAUP and an integrated researcher at the Research Institute in Art, Design and Society (I2ADS). Also PURE PRINT/i2ADS coordinator. She dedicated herself to developing methods of research aiming to reassess historical techniques of image reproduction.