Defining and redefining the terminology and aesthetics of “fine art” printmaking can be a pretty slippery slope- the “limited edition” beef jerky post is a good example. Through its use of print language, Oberto is trying (unsuccessfully, I think) to class up its dried meat snacks. Can you imagine someone in the supermarket saying, “Whoa! Limited edition!?! I better buy two bags of this Mesquite flavored jerky before it’s all gone!”?
Taking our inquiry from the supermarket to the upscale-but-affordable home furnishings store… does wrapping a mass-produced offset print in glassine make that mass-produced offset print more valuable? A few weeks ago following a tip from an anonymous source (yes, I am suggesting that we do hard-hitting, investigative reporting at Printeresting), I stopped by West Elm to check out their “art” merchandise. As it turns out, wrapping a mass-produced offset print in glassine does, in fact, make that mass-produced offset print more valuable. Add an “attractive craft portfolio” and it’s even better.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t think an offset print has value. I think any kind of print is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. What intrigues me in this case is the strategy West Elm is using to convince a consumer of value. By using glassine, a patented material of the “fine art” printmaker, West Elm manages bestow an air of preciousness on a piece of cardstock featuring what is, at best, an unoffensive design.
They say you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle. In this case, is glassine the sizzle? Or am I just a conspiracy theorist who likes to make etchings?
