The title almost gives the game away, but there’s far more to this PhD thesis than merely the conclusion. Over a packed period of several years, Liselore Tissen worked with museums, cultural and academic institutions, art conservation students and individual artists on an incredible journey into the world of art reproductions. In the first of our series of four articles on how tactile reproductions made by elevated print technology create stronger connections with a much larger audience, she outlines her own journey and the surprises she encountered en route.

 


The incredible detail of each aspect of an original work can now be examined and touched for an art experience as never before

 

Impact
It all began in 2016, during a visit to Delft University of Technology, where Liselore was astounded by a full-size reproduction of Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride, an elevated digital print produced on an Arizona flatbed printer. “It was almost indistinguishable from the original,” she recalls. “The technology had succeeded in disclosing every aspect of a painting so well that it had liquified the borders between what could be perceived as ‘real’ or ‘fake.’”

This encounter prompted three key questions for the art scholar:

  • What does this reproduction mean for the artistic and authentic value of the original?
  • What value does the elevated print have on its own?
  • Will it change the way we perceive original artworks and give authenticity to a work?

In particular, Liselore wanted to understand how elevated print reproductions that bear an indistinguishable likeness to the originals would affect the practices of art historians, conservation and restoration specialists, and museum presentations.

Liselore decided to look further into the potential impact of the technique of elevated printing on how society views and values art, as well as the ethical debate over this and future replication technologies. Arguably the most impactful conclusion of her research was that because they are indistinguishable from the original, elevated print reproductions can give millions of people around the world unprecedented access to some of the greatest art masterpieces.

 

“Elevated print adds new facets to our interaction with art and opens up possibilities hitherto unperceived.”

Liselore Tissen PhD

 

Please touch
“Traditional and technical replication methods of works of art have always been clearly distinguishable from their original,” Liselore explains. “Elevated prints, on the other hand, reproduce not only color, but also variances in surface textures and glossiness.” She believes it’s actually futile to try to discern the original from the reproduction. “In fact and elevated print reproduction gives us the best of both worlds: we can use and engage with it in unlimited ways, while at the same time conserving the original better.”

 

Museum piece versus meaning
Liselore is excited by the freedom elevated print gives us to experience art in a completely new way: “When an original work of art is finished and put on display in a museum, it dies. We keep it in a state we believe is ‘original’, hardly allowing anyone to ever come too close. Interaction is practically impossible,” she reflects. “Elevated prints enable us to create reproductions ad infinitum. They serve the originals because we can now put the art back in its original setting/context, for example, in a church surrounded by candlelight and incense.” This approach, Liselore has discovered, is enabling us to add additional meaning to a work of art.
“We can now actually experience art, rather than simply having to stand back and admire it, which – if we’re being honest – can become a bit of an overkill,” she explains. “People are asking if they can touch the art. This is a real first. We’re making art far more accessible and, making visiting a museum a far more interesting, engaging and, therefore, powerful experience. In addition to reading about the techniques an artist used, you can actually touch the layers yourself.”

 

“Unlike any other reproduction method, elevated printing can help visualize, understand and reinterpret the artwork’s changes in its physical form and material composition through time.”

Liselore Tissen PhD

 

A new science
During her research, Liselore has worked with materials scientists on analyzing how a work of art ages. “Elevated print reproductions bring the original image back to life,” she explains. “In the case of our 3x4m elevated print of Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, the imaginary subject becomes a real girl of flesh and blood. We can now see the wear and tear the painting has gone through as it – like us – has aged over the years.” In fact, Liselore’s work has opened up a new field of art science, bringing together art history, social sciences and humanities, as well as materials science.

 


The larger-than-life reproduction of Girl with a Pearl Earring continues to impress and amaze visitors to the Mauritshuis in The Hague, which is home to the Dutch government collection of hundreds of Dutch paintings, including works by Rembrandt & Vermeer

 

“The ability of elevated printing technology to visualize various phases and faces in works of art, such as Vermeer’s Girl, will undeniably alter how we look at art history.”

Liselore Tissen PhD

 

No constraints
Elevated prints are not only of value for older masterpieces. Liselore: “For abstract contemporary art, we’re now bringing together the knowledge and expertise of the technology experts at Canon, museum curators and myself to make all art accessible without having to read long and often boring explanations. This is encouraging our visitors to be creative in their own interpretation and perception of the art through their own sensory experience.
We’re freeing the artwork from the constraints of what other people tell you to think about a work. Now, your own memories, emotions and thoughts associated with what you’re seeing, feeling and experiencing at that precise moment determine what the artwork means for you.” Liselore believes art has been an elite experience for the chosen few for far too long. “Elevated prints bring art to life and make us realize that the truth is determined by the viewer, rather than the established order.”

 

“Elevated print reproductions are not a threat to the original work, but are vital to showcase an artwork’s diversity of values and create stronger connections with the audience.”

Liselore Tissen PhD

 

Just the beginning
Liselore is buzzing with enthusiasm about the possibilities elevated print has to offer. Her work has already led to numerous collaborations, which she and her partners are keen to develop further. “By bringing together the very different worlds of innovative printing technology, material science and art, we’ve been able to demonstrate the enormous contribution such collaboration can make to enhancing the knowledge and the experience of art for a much wider audience. My thesis is just the beginning.”

 

 

Discover more
While Liselore’s thesis is under embargo until her book is published later this year, you’ll find lots of inspiration on her own website and those of her partners, for example:

Personal Pages:

Prints made by Canon:

Articles about perception research of the enlarged 3D-print made by Canon:

For other articles on elevated print, see:

 

A word of thanks
Finally, Liselore is eager to express her gratitude to the entire elevated print team at Canon. In particular, she would like to thank Clemens Weijkamp, Expertise, Lead Technologist Elevated Printing Technology, for his “24/7 support, enthusiasm and brilliant ideas,” which she is adamant played a major role in her thesis being awarded a ‘cum laude’ (distinction). “And I love the limited-edition elevated-printed cover – that includes a painting by Clemens’ father,” she adds proudly.

About Liselore Tissen
Liselore Tissen (Ph.D.) is a postdoctoral researcher at LUCAS and is affiliated with Delft University of Technology (Mechanical Engineering), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Netherlands Institute for Conservation+Art+Science. She is the task lead for ethics, digital research, education, and interdisciplinary collaborations at the Social Sciences Humanities Open Cloud. She is also a board member of various national and international organisations (e.g., Restauratoren Nederland, European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – Culture & Creativity) and a scientific ambassador for the city and university of Leiden.

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