The "Original" vs. The "Copy"
For decades, art lovers in India faced a dilemma. You could either spend a fortune on an original canvas by a master like M.F. Husain or S.H. Raza, or you could buy a cheap, mass-produced poster that would fade in a few years. There was no middle ground.
That changed significantly in the 1990s with the rise of Fine Art Serigraphy.
Under the vision of Anil Relia, Archer Graphic Studio collaborated with India's greatest artists to create "multiple originals"; works of art that were printed by hand, signed by the artist, and accessible to a new generation of collectors.
What Makes a Serigraph "Fine Art"?
It is easy to confuse a serigraph with a standard digital print, but the difference is night and day. In digital printing, a machine sprays ink onto paper in seconds. In serigraphy, the process is physical, laborious, and artistic.
1. Layering: The image is broken down into separate colours.
2. Screens: A separate mesh screen is created for each specific colour.
3. Application: The ink is mixed by hand to match the artist's original vision perfectly. It is then pushed through the screen using a squeegee, one colour at a time.
For complex paintings, this might require 20 or 30 different screens to complete a single edition.
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The Archer Revolution: Four Masters, Four Styles
The collaboration between Archer Art Gallery and Indian masters illustrates the unique strengths of this medium. Here is how four distinct legends used serigraphy to expand their reach.
1. Jyoti Bhatt: The Printmaker’s Playground
Unlike many painters who adopted serigraphy later, Jyoti Bhatt is a printmaker at heart. His work documents the "living traditions" of rural India—rangolis, tattoos, and folk embroidery.
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Jyoti Bhatt at Archer Graphic Studio with Anil Relia
● The Translation: Because Bhatt understands the mechanics of printmaking, his serigraphs are technical marvels. He uses the medium to layer intricate textures and stylized text, often incorporating calligraphy into the visual design.
● The Result: His serigraphs at Archer capture the "flat" graphic quality of Indian folk art while maintaining the sharpness of modern design. The ink sits on the paper in a way that mimics the tactile feel of the village walls he documented.
2. Jatin Das: Capturing the Fluid Line
Jatin Das is famous for his "dynamic figures"; bare human forms captured in motion with spontaneous, energetic lines.
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Jatin Das at Archer Graphic Studio with Manan Relia
● The Challenge: The challenge with serigraphy (which uses stencils) is that it can look stiff. How do you capture the speed of a Jatin Das ink drawing using a screen?
● The Solution: The team at Archer had to meticulously expose screens that captured the "dry brush" look and the varying thickness of Das’s strokes. The resulting prints preserve the raw energy of his original sketches, making the figures look as if they are about to dance off the paper.
3. M.F. Husain: The Brushstroke Preserved
Husain was famous for his bold, rapid application of paint. A digital print often flattens these details.
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M. F. Husain creating a serigraph at Archer Art Gallery
● The Texture: Serigraphy allows for impasto effects—where the ink is laid down thick enough to have texture. When you run your hand over a Husain serigraph from Archer, particularly his iconic horses, you can often feel the physical ridge of the ink, mimicking the tactile power of his canvas paintings.
4. S.H. Raza: The Geometry of the Bindu
Serigraphy is uniquely commanded by precision, making it the perfect medium for S.H. Raza.
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S. H. Raza signing serigraphs at Archer Art Gallery
● The Colour: His work focuses on the "Bindu"—the black point of creation—and sharp geometric colours. Screen printing produces flat, incredibly saturated fields of colour that do not bleed. This allowed Raza to create limited editions where the black was truly pitch black and the reds were opaque and vibrant, maintaining the meditative quality of his work without the "noise" of brushstrokes.
Why This Matters Today?
The work done by studios like Archer Art Gallery did something profound: it democratized art in India.
Before this, owning a "signed original" was a privilege for the ultra-wealthy. Serigraphy allowed a young professional to own a genuine piece of history—signed by Jatin Das or Jyoti Bhatt—for a fraction of the cost of a canvas.
It bridged the gap between the exclusive museum and the living room, proving that while the technique (screen printing) might be industrial, the result is pure soul.
