Graphic arts

Graphic arts, techniques of drawing and engraving words and pictures, including block printing, etching, lithography, silk-screening, and engraving. The capacity to reproduce identical books quickly came about in 1440 when Johannes Gutenberg invented movable print. Block printing and engraving were mastered in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages, and graphic arts were used for original artwork as well as to create reproductions. Graphic artists include Albrecht Dürer of Germany, and Francisco Goya and Pablo Picasso of Spain.