Decalcomania

Decalcomania

Decalcomania, from the French décalcomanie, is a decorative technique by which engravings and prints may be transferred to pottery or other materials. It was invented in England about 1750 and imported into the United States at least as early as 1865. Its invention has been attributed to Simon François Ravenet, an engraver from France who later moved to England and perfected the process he called "decalquer" (which means to copy by tracing). The first known use of the French term décalcomanie, in Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Eleanor's Victory (1863), was soon followed by the English decalcomania in an 1865 trade show catalog (The Tenth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association); it was popularized during the ceramic transfer craze of the mid-1870s. Today the shortened version is "Decal".

The surrealist Oscar Domínguez (referring to his work as "decalcomania with no preconceived object") took up the technique in 1936, using gouache spread thinly on a sheet of paper or other surface (glass has been used), which is then pressed onto another surface such as a canvas. Black gouache was originally used in Dominguez's practice, though colours later made their appearance.

Max Ernst also practiced decalcomania, as did Hans Bellmer and Remedios Varo. [1]

In the 1950s and early 1960s, King Features Syndicate marketed a set of decalcomanias bearing full-color pictures of characters from King Features comic strips, including Flash Gordon, the Katzenjammer Kids and Dagwood Bumstead. Intended for young children who might have difficulty pronouncing or reading the word "decalcomanias", these transfers were marketed as "Cockamamies", a deliberate mispronunciation of that word. The term "cockamamy" or "cockamamie" has entered the language with various slang meanings, usually denoting something that is wacky, strange or unusual.

The production of decalcomanias has not been confined to art. At Yale University fingerpaint decalcomanias have been analysed for their tendency, when the process is repeated several times on the same paper, to generate fractals.[2]

See also

References

"Decalcomania," Harper's Bazaar, April 4, 1868

External links


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  • Decalcomanía — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Decalcomanía, técnica pictórica inventada por Óscar Domínguez que consiste en aplicar gouache negro sobre un papel, el cual se coloca encima de otra hoja sobre la que se ejerce una ligera presión, luego se despegan… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Decalcomania — De*cal co*ma ni*a, Decalcomanie De*cal co*ma nie, n. [F. d[ e]calcomanie.] The art or process of transferring pictures and designs to china, glass, marble, etc., and permanently fixing them thereto …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Decalcomanía — Decalcomanía, Técnica pictórica inventada por Óscar Domínguez que consiste en aplicar gouache negro sobre un papel, el cual se coloca encima de otra hoja sobre la que se ejerce una ligera presión, luego se despegan antes de que se sequen …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • decalcomania — /dekalkoma nia/ s.f. [dal fr. décalcomanie, comp. di décalquer decalcare e manie mania ]. [processo di trasposizione su unasuperficie di un immagine a colori impressa su carta debitamente predisposta; anche, l immagine stessa] ▶◀ calcomania,… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • decalcomania — s. f. 1. Processo que permite transferir por pressão imagens para outra superfície. 2. Imagem obtida por este processo. • Sinônimo geral: DECALQUE   ‣ Etimologia: francês décalcomanie …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • decalcomania — [dē kal΄kō mā′nē ə, dēkal΄kəmā′nē ə] n. [Fr décalcomanie < décalquer, to trace, copy (< dé , DE + calquer, to copy < It calcare, to press, trample < L calcare: see CAULK) + manie < Gr mania, madness] 1. the process of transferring… …   English World dictionary

  • decalcomania —    decal and decalcomania    Decalcomania is the process of transferring images from specially prepared paper to the surface of a material such as canvas, glass, or metal. Decal is short for decalcomania, and is now more popularly used, often for …   Glossary of Art Terms

  • decalcomania — de·cal·co·ma·nì·a s.f. 1. TS graf. tecnica di trasferimento di immagini da un supporto di carta speciale a una superficie definitiva; decalcomania a umido, a secco, a seconda che, per farlo aderire, il disegno debba essere inumidito o sia… …   Dizionario italiano

  • decalcomania — noun Etymology: French décalcomanie, from décalquer to copy by tracing (from dé de + calquer to trace, from Italian calcare, literally, to tread, from Latin) + manie mania, from Late Latin mania more at caulk Date: 1864 1. the art or process of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • decalcomania — /di kal keuh may nee euh, mayn yeuh/, n. 1. the art or process of transferring pictures or designs from specially prepared paper to wood, metal, glass, etc. 2. decal (defs. 1, 2). [1860 65; < F décalcomanie, equiv. to décalc (repr. décalquer to… …   Universalium

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