In the year 1556, Portuguese missionaries imported two printing presses from Lisbon to Goa with the objective of using them to promote Christianity amongst the natives. This was probably the first instance of a printing-initiative being launched in the sub-continent.

From around 1855, the British government introduced printmaking as a subject in government-controlled Indian art institutes. The techniques of engraving, etching, and lithography were taught mainly to facilitate the mass production of prints though. It was only later in the first decade of the twentieth century that printmaking techniques began to be used by artists for aesthetic expression. Gaganendranath Tagore was one of the earliest artists who explored the print medium. Many art institutions-the early ones like the Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan (1920) and the later ones like the Delhi Polytechnic (now College of Art) (1942) and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda (1949) contributed to the gradual recognition of printmaking as an independent art mode. Artists like Mukul Dey, Ramendranath Chakraborty, Benode Behari Mukherjee, and Nandalal Bose started exploring printmaking to come up with creative works of historical import.

Kanchan Chander. Fables Retold. Woodcut,
gouache, sequins. 7.5" diameter each. 2000.

It was in the 1950s, after the period of transition that followed Independence, that new techniques such as colour lithography and mixed media came to be explored. In Delhi, Kanwal Krishna began his experiments with colographs: he had worked for a short period at Hayter's Atelier 17, where he had learnt the intricacies of intaglio. At this time, inspite of the growing interest in printmaking, there was an unavailability of adequate materials. In 1958, Krishna was successful in setting up a small intaglio press in his studio in Delhi. Another excellent graphicist in her own right was Devayani Krishna. Her intaglio relief prints highlighted the basic calligraphic beauty of Arabic characters.

In an exhibition at the Kumar Art Gallery in 1958, Krishna Reddy exhibited his colour prints for the first time in Delhi. Until that time, only a few woodcuts and small dry points had been seen by the artists in the city at the National Exhibition of the Lalit Kala Akademi.

In 1958, Somnath Hore was appointed as a teacher of Graphics at the Delhi College of Art. The college, which was known as the Department of Art, Delhi Polytechnic, got affiliated to the All India Council for Technical Education in the year1956. The Department of Art became a College of Art in due course of time, and in 1971, it got affiliated to the University of Delhi.

Somnath Hore, along with Jagmohan Chopra, assembled the equipment required for printmaking: within a short span of two or three years, he not only built a full-fledged Graphics Department but also helped in generating among his students and colleagues, an enthusiasm for printmaking. A small group of intelligent and sensitive students, which included Pushpa Rao, A. P. Pannerselvam, Usha Pasricha, Jai Krishna, and Umesh Verma, among others, began their serious explorations into printmaking.

K. R. Subbanna. "---------".
Colour etching. 10" x 17". 2000.

Though Hore and Krishna were the pioneers as far as pushing printmaking initiatives in Delhi was concerned, it was Jagmohan Chopra, who soon became an important presence, especially with his Group-8, which comprised students and professionals interested in the graphic arts. A cash award Chopra got for his graphic work was used to mount a printing press. One can say, with the benefit of hindsight, that it was this machine that allowed for the group to come together and work together: apart from Chopra, the members included Anupam Sud, Jagdish Dey, Jeevan Adalja, Laxmi Datta, Prasanta Bichitra, Umesh Verma, Vijay Sharma, Yogshakti Chopra, and Surindra Singh Chadha. From 1967-68, Group-8 decided to hold 'All India Exhibitions': these were to be devoted exclusively to graphic works. The motive behind this was not only to introduce the works of graphic artists from Delhi but also from other places in the country. Senior artists like Hore, K. G. Subramanyan, Arun Bose, and Krishna Reddy also participated in their shows.

As awareness about printmaking practices increased, many artists began to experiment. The 'All India Exhibition' in 1972 had around sixty artists participating. Works ranging from colour lithographs, serigraphs, relief prints, deep etchings, aquatints, woodcuts, intaglios, dry points, lino-cuts to colour engravings were on display. Group-8 also organized solo exhibitions and conducted workshops. In the '70s, the ace American printmaker, Paul Lingren, conducted a workshop in the city: it drew a warm response. Around this time, some artists led by Sankho Chaudhury approached the Delhi Development Authority for an art-space: the Garhi Studios thus came to be set up in 1976. There were facilities provided for printmaking, metal casting, welding, and ceramics. Kanwal Krishna began looking after its Graphics section, and Surindra Singh Chadha looked after the Lithography section. Devraj Dakoji, who had come back from London, also got appointed at Garhi. By '76, Jagmohan Chopra had gone to the Chandigarh Art College and exhibitions of Group-8 were mounted mainly in Chandigarh. The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society finally took over the initiative of organising these exhibitions. In '79, facilities were provided for silk-screen printing at Garhi under the supervision of Manjit Bawa.

The activities of Group-8 came to an end eventually, but the artists/printmakers still carried on individually. Delhi slowly became a centre for printmakers from different regions. From the '80s, Gogi Saroj Pal, Jai Zharotia, Amitava Das, Avijit Roy, Dilip Tumuly, H. Kambli, H. Guha, K. Ahuja, M. Radhakrishnan, Savi Savarkar, Shamshad, among others, began to experiment with printmaking.