Social trends in printmaking in America in the 20th century

Although Printmaking is considered a sub-branch of graphics and painting, besides having a very old tradition; It is a unique art discipline that has gained a place in time as a main art branch with its structure that is open to experimentation, adaptable and developable. It has been the carrier of an important legacy in the formation of visual culture and social memory as a means of depiction, reproduction, copying and reproduction for a century, preserving its traditions until the emergence of photography. Printmaking artists, on the other hand, have carried the art of printmaking beyond time with their protest styles, which enable the formation of this visual and aesthetic culture, witness the history, and reflect social events with a critical perspective, realistic and occasionally extraordinary imaginations. With this structure, printmaking has ensured to be the focal point of the society as well as the artists in the history of culture and art in every century. While social awareness showed its existence in almost every field after the Industrial Revolution, its reflection in art was on the basis of advocacy and search for solutions by taking into account the needs of society. After the First World War, the devastating effects of the Great Depression, which affected the whole world and caused social changes on the European Continent, the United Kingdom and the United States, had a profound effect on art and artists, and additively, the Second World War, strengthened these effects. Beginning of migrations from the European continent to the United States as a severe and traumatic consequence of the war; The gathering of people from different cultures has brought about many social problems such as unemployment and housing. After the First World War, the "Armory Show" consisting of the works of Impressionist, Fauvist, Post-Impressionist and Cubist artists in New York became a turning point for the recognition and understanding of European art in terms of modern American art and artists. In the United States, a series of indigenous programs, which came into force as the 'New Order', have been established to get rid of the collapse caused by the great changes in the political, economic and social fields with immigration. Within the framework of this program, graphic arts workshops have been established under the name of the "Federal Art Project". With the establishment of art workshops, new employment opportunities were created for many artists and job opportunities were provided. After 1940, limited artistic activities in the United States were mobilized with artists immigrating from Europe, and the center of art moved from Paris to New York. After the Second World War, Workshop 17 in Paris was moved to the United States, paving the way for European and American artists to work in collaboration. Following this development, Universal Limited Art Editions brought together artists producing works in different fields and created an original art collection consisting of poetry and printmaking. With the pioneering works and exhibitions carried out by these galleries, interest in art activities increased and printmaking showed a significant development. With the emergence and importance of Pop Art, popular culture images have been presented by drawing attention to consumption culture, and the simplest objects used in daily life, mass media and television / media figures have become a means of expression in printmaking. The developments in the 20th century contributed to the inclusion of the art of printmaking in every field of daily life. Artists also played an important role in shaping the society in a way that would affect the mentality of the period in which they lived, and they had the opportunity to convey their social messages to large masses. Along with this socially developing process, experimental and original studies in terms of the technical development of the art of printmaking have laid the groundwork for the emergence of changes and the emergence of modern art. Keywords: America, Printmaking, Social, Art