A flat printing process on stone based on the antagonism between water and oil-based substances. The lithographic stone is a fine limestone which is polished and on which greasy strokes are drawn. When the stone is moistened, the water does not adhere to these strokes. The opposite effect occurs when an ink roller is passed over the stone. The ink is oil-based and adheres to the greasy strokes but not to the moistened parts of the stone. The sheet of paper pressed onto the stone will be printed with the ink placed on the strokes. According to the dictionary of technical terms, Larousse.

He came to Paris to study architecture. As 1930s drew near, he “made circles and squares” in Montparnasse. He survived thanks to his caricatures of politicians published in the press and his drawings on fabrics.

Since 1939, he has organised more than one hundred private exhibitions of his works in Paris, in the provinces and abroad. He also participated in several official exhibitions organised by France outside Europe, and was awarded the prestigious Hallmark Prize three times (in 1949, 1952 and 1955).

His most notable exhibitions were “Venice” (1953), “The Apocalypse” (1957), “Ritual Figures” (1968) and “Versailles” (1994).

In 1952, his creation of the set and costumes for the Incas' act in Jean-Philippe Rameau's Indes galantes at the Paris National Opera revealed him to the general public. He followed up with Le Loup (1953) for the Ballets of Roland Petit. Giselle (1954) and Athalie (1955) delighted spectators at the Opera and the Comédie Française.

He was and Officer of the Légion d’Honneur [the highest French order of merit], a Commander of the Ordre national du Mérite [National Order of Merit] and a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres [Order of Arts and Humanities].

Frédéric Fringhian