Monotype

モノタイプ / 17th century–present / Technique / Print Expression

Ink or paint is added to or removed from a smooth plate, then transferred to paper. Brushwork, wiped highlights and interrupted edges combine in a largely unique impression. Residual ink can yield a paler ghost print; this differs from repeatedly printing a fixed matrix image.

Monotype — Edgar Degas, Café-Concert, 1876–77 — pastel over monotype, National Gallery of Art, formerly Corcoran Gallery of Art — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Edgar Degas, Café-Concert, 1876–77 — pastel over monotype, National Gallery of Art, formerly Corcoran Gallery of Art — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

  • Marks added or wiped on the plate
  • Broken contours and broad tones
  • Brushwork combined with transfer texture
  • Fainter residual ghost impressions

Best used for

  • Exhibitions and teaching that compare Monotype with neighbouring print techniques
  • Publications studying lines, tones and paper through documented works

Use this style

Take the compact brief into a project or hand the structured version to an AI tool.

design.mdimage promptJSON APIMCP & machine accessCompose
open in ChatGPTopen in Claudeopen in Google AI
Detailed guidance and sourcesProduction rules, reference works, comparisons, research and citation formats

Dictionary entry

Type
Keep lettering in the work separate from added labels; place medium, artist and date outside the image.
Composition
Test added marks and wiped highlights separately, checking reversal after transfer.
Material
Check the collection medium record and the paper and ink; do not infer materials from screen colour alone.
Caution
Not every one-off print is a monotype. Distinguish a smooth painted plate from a fixed matrix varied as a monoprint.
Further study
Edgar Degas — monotypes / Additive and subtractive plate work / Ghost impressions

Related entries

More from Print Expression

Continue through styles in the same Print Expression family, prioritised by shared effects.

Browse all Print Expression entries

Cite this entry

The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.

Link
https://indexstyle.org/styles/monotype
Markdown
[Monotype — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/monotype)
HTML
<a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/monotype">Monotype — IndexStyle</a>

Back to index position