My interest in graphic arts has peaked recently after many failed attempts at solving today’s mysteries using graphical means. So I thought that perhaps a deeper understanding of the roots and time line of the graphics arts would prove useful for future endeavors. So here’s a little history:
Graphic arts is a term applied historically to the art of printmaking and drawing. In contemporary usage it refers to the applied trade-skills of a graphic designer or print technician. The term can include the trades of lithography, serigraphy and bindery, among others. Graphic arts as a trade can be traced back to the first instances of the stamped image or word.
The technique of printing with carved wood blocks appeared about the 7th century, early in the Tang dynasty. It was invented as a way to inscribe thousands of sheets of rice paper with a memoire of a beloved Empress. Every sheet of paper was placed in hilltops and shrines all over China so that her name would never be forgotten.
Movable type was first invented by Bi Sheng of the Song dynasty between the years 1041 and 1048. This invention was recorded by his contemporary Shen Kuo in his Dreampool Essays. During the 13-14th centuries, the agriculturist Wang Zhen made an important contribution to the development of movable type printing.
Movable type was probably first used in Europe in the mid-15th century by Gutenberg in Germany, who also invented the printing press. This combination then rapidly spread to the rest of Europe, and later the world. Printing became a distinct trade.
Well you’ve probably already tired of the lecture on graphic arts, so on to the puzzle.
Here are some notable milestones that in some way relate to or have influenced the graphic arts. Perhaps in your research of these items, it’ll peak your interest in the graphic arts just in time to solve the puzzle.
eMail; Chromolithography, a method for making color prints; Johann Gutenberg carved wood letters creating first movable type; Mimeograph, used to print short run office work; Linotype, a line casting machine; HTML; William Caxton writes the first english typography book; Screen printing, a printing technique using a woven mesh; Lithography, chemical processes to create images; The first MacIntosh computer.
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You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.
Yes, it's working properly, C.M.