Lithography is a traditional printmaking technique that uses limestone as its printing matrix. Originating in late 18th-century Europe, its distinctiveness lies in the process whereby the artist paints directly on the stone surface with greasy materials. Through a delicate chemical treatment, the ink adheres only to the artist’s drawn areas and is then transferred to paper by pressing. Because lithography can preserve the tactile texture and tonal depth of an original painting to the highest degree, it has long been celebrated as “the printmaking art closest to painting.”

Yet the craft is exceedingly demanding in both material and technique. The finest lithographic limestones came from Solnhofen, Germany, whose quarries have long been exhausted. Today, natural stones suitable for true lithography are extremely rare, making authentic stone lithographs an increasingly precious form of artistic reproduction.

Among the masters who explored this medium, Chen Yifei (1946–2005) — the renowned Chinese-American artist — stands as a remarkable figure. In the 1980s and 1990s, he created and supervised a series of limited-edition lithographs that embody a crucial stage in his artistic evolution. By merging the realistic light and shadow of oil painting with the poetic softness of Eastern brushwork, Chen expanded his artistic language and introduced his visual philosophy to a wider international circle.

Exhibition Gallery