Location of the Print:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://kornguth.com/printmaking/images/printmaking13.jpg&imgrefurl=http://kornguth.com/printmaking/index.html&usg=__dn2JYaIubJrwiGbDhM1PUpRmnU8=&h=530&w=354&sz=68&hl=en&start=23&tbnid=vURQu-WdzaLEwM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=88&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dprintmaking%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18
Martin G. Kornguth was born in 1939 in the Bronx. He spent some time as a secondary school art teacher. He was also a political cartoonist and has spent the last twenty years as a studio artist. The majority of his work has been derived from observations he has made, opinions he has had, as well as commentary on certain issues. In much of his work, he uses the human figure to get across the topic or idea he is trying to portray.
The print that I was most impressed with was done through intaglio and etching. The print is entitled “The Hockey Fan.” In the print, a woman is portrayed at a hockey game looking as if she is staring at something in the distance. The fans around here seem to be captive by the game, looking down at what must be the hockey rink. The woman looks as if she is somewhat bored, sitting with her legs crossed and her hands as if she were almost twiddling her thumbs to keep her occupied. Her coat is still on and buttoned, as if she is ready to leave right at that moment.
I think the part of the print that stood out to me the most is the wooden bench that the people are sitting on. It as if that bench drags the audience into the print with the woman. The wood is very detailed, showing the graininess of it. The fact that no one is sitting to the one side of the woman may also represent that she is waiting for someone to join her at the game. This could be the reason that she seems a bit anxious.
The woman is mainly white in the print. Her face and coat, as well as her hands are all white. The rest of the figures in the etching are presented as darker, almost as off in the distance. It looks as if the woman is in her own world. The floor is very dark, making the woman stand out even more from the background.
The detail is this print is amazing. From the wood grain to the hair of the man sitting next to the woman, there seems to be a great deal of work and time put into this print. The lines are very distinct and clean. That is another reason why I believe I enjoy this print so much is the clearness of it. The print is a decent size, 23' high and 15.5" wide.
Overall, I enjoy this print and the other works I have viewed of this artist. Although I do not understand the majority of the messages he is trying to portray if any. I do like the detail in most of his prints as well.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
King Leo's Vision
http://www.shawndemarest.com/images/King_Leo_s_Vision2.jpg
Similar to the way I have found other prints I like, I found the works of Shawn Demarest through Google. Shawn studied many different types of art, including air painting and design. There is not much information about Shawn beside what the short bio provides. However, Shawn's works are quite interesting to look at since the approaches of "view/respond" and "listen/follow" are used. Shawn has a website as well as a blog that displays both oil paintings and prints the have been completed.
Shawn does etchings on copper plates and uses etching, drypoint, aquatint, and open bite in the prints. The prints are all very unusual. Most of them are somewhat abstract in their portrayal of people or animals. The one image that caught my eye is entitled "King Leo's Vision." The print depicts King Leo laying at the bottom of a tree with an angelic woman floating above him holding flowers. The woman looks almost as if she has butterfly wings along with a halo above her head. King Leo looks quite relaxed with a small smile on his face, as if he is pleased with this beautiful woman hovering above him. The tree in the print is large, with buds as if spring is just around the corner.
The print incorporates a great deal of lights and darks. The background is lighter, with the tree being made up of mostly darks, bringing the tree forward from the background. King Leo's robes are intricately decorated, but remain mostly dark. The woman is mostly dressed in white, flowing material. I think Shawn does a great deal with the contrasting in this print. Although the print is somewhat simple, there is a great amount of detail in the tree trunk and the clothing on both King Leo as well as the woman.
Shawn also does not use very distinct lines. The lines that make up the faces and bodies of both King Leo and the woman are almost messy looking, for lack of a better word. The lines are overlapping and criss-crossing in some spots. I believe that the purpose of this use of lines is to make the image seem almost dreamlike in a sense. The clothing and bark of the tree is done in the same manner, but there is a great deal of detail put into both aspects. The tree bark looks realistic in a sense because the bark weaves in and out. The clothing has a great deal of patterns.
I do enjoy this print because although it looks great from farther back, it is definitely not perfect from close up. I feel like this type of print teaches a lesson to print makers that the lines and portrayal in the etching does not have to be perfect. It is okay if lines are a little bit off. The print will hold its own. I also feel that the detail added made the viewer's eye move across the print, from the designs on the clothing to the details in the bark of the tree.
Similar to the way I have found other prints I like, I found the works of Shawn Demarest through Google. Shawn studied many different types of art, including air painting and design. There is not much information about Shawn beside what the short bio provides. However, Shawn's works are quite interesting to look at since the approaches of "view/respond" and "listen/follow" are used. Shawn has a website as well as a blog that displays both oil paintings and prints the have been completed.
Shawn does etchings on copper plates and uses etching, drypoint, aquatint, and open bite in the prints. The prints are all very unusual. Most of them are somewhat abstract in their portrayal of people or animals. The one image that caught my eye is entitled "King Leo's Vision." The print depicts King Leo laying at the bottom of a tree with an angelic woman floating above him holding flowers. The woman looks almost as if she has butterfly wings along with a halo above her head. King Leo looks quite relaxed with a small smile on his face, as if he is pleased with this beautiful woman hovering above him. The tree in the print is large, with buds as if spring is just around the corner.
The print incorporates a great deal of lights and darks. The background is lighter, with the tree being made up of mostly darks, bringing the tree forward from the background. King Leo's robes are intricately decorated, but remain mostly dark. The woman is mostly dressed in white, flowing material. I think Shawn does a great deal with the contrasting in this print. Although the print is somewhat simple, there is a great amount of detail in the tree trunk and the clothing on both King Leo as well as the woman.
Shawn also does not use very distinct lines. The lines that make up the faces and bodies of both King Leo and the woman are almost messy looking, for lack of a better word. The lines are overlapping and criss-crossing in some spots. I believe that the purpose of this use of lines is to make the image seem almost dreamlike in a sense. The clothing and bark of the tree is done in the same manner, but there is a great deal of detail put into both aspects. The tree bark looks realistic in a sense because the bark weaves in and out. The clothing has a great deal of patterns.
I do enjoy this print because although it looks great from farther back, it is definitely not perfect from close up. I feel like this type of print teaches a lesson to print makers that the lines and portrayal in the etching does not have to be perfect. It is okay if lines are a little bit off. The print will hold its own. I also feel that the detail added made the viewer's eye move across the print, from the designs on the clothing to the details in the bark of the tree.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
St. George on Horseback Slaying the Dragon
Image Location:
http://www.artnet.com/Artists/LotDetailPage.aspx?lot_id=7CE106A210B88493
While doing some research on different types of etchings, I stumbled upon some interesting information. I found a beautiful, very detailed etching by a man named Daniel Hopher (1493-1536) who was thought to be the person who developed this technique. Etching also was said to be the most popular graphic art during the 17th century, around the time of Rembrandt. Hopher was a German artist who used many different techniques and strategies. It was also thought that Hopher was the first to actually pull etchings onto paper in order to print them.
The one etching that stood out to me the most by Hopher was entitled "St. George on horseback slaying the dragon." This etching reminded me of a painting I saw when I was younger at the Art Institute of a similar genre. The etching is extremely intricate and full of action. St. George is depicted on a horse wearing protective armor and a helmet with a spear in his hand, ready to pierce the dragon. He is shown as being very strong and determined, while not showing a great deal of anger or cruelty in his face. It is difficult to see his actual face causing the viewer to rely fully on body language in order to decipher his emotion.
The horse is also a component of the etching that truly caught my eye. The horse is displayed as a beautiful, magnificent creature. To me, it almost looks as if the horse is beautiful enough to be on a carousel. The horse has a beautiful mane and armor to wear as well. It is standing on top of the dragon, looking as if it were ready to pounce. The horse is very light, while the dragon is dark and scaly.
In the background, there is a great deal going on. There are trees to the one side and what seems to be people or possibly angels off in the distance. The background of the etching is rather light, similar to the lightness of the horse. Obviously, the lightness of the horse and St. George symbolize the good, while the darkness of the dragon symbolizes the bad. This seems to be a typical work of art that portrays the reign of good over evil.
I do enjoy this etching a great deal. I believe that it is very well done and pays a great attention to detail. I think that is what captures my eye the most; the little extras that were added to the etching to make it more realistic. I think the contrasting of lights and darks helps to display the idea of the triumph of good over evil. I believe that Hopher recognized his talent and used it to the fullest extent. I really enjoyed all of his other works that I viewed as well. They all seem to share the same attention to detail that I find captivating.
http://www.artnet.com/Artists/LotDetailPage.aspx?lot_id=7CE106A210B88493
While doing some research on different types of etchings, I stumbled upon some interesting information. I found a beautiful, very detailed etching by a man named Daniel Hopher (1493-1536) who was thought to be the person who developed this technique. Etching also was said to be the most popular graphic art during the 17th century, around the time of Rembrandt. Hopher was a German artist who used many different techniques and strategies. It was also thought that Hopher was the first to actually pull etchings onto paper in order to print them.
The one etching that stood out to me the most by Hopher was entitled "St. George on horseback slaying the dragon." This etching reminded me of a painting I saw when I was younger at the Art Institute of a similar genre. The etching is extremely intricate and full of action. St. George is depicted on a horse wearing protective armor and a helmet with a spear in his hand, ready to pierce the dragon. He is shown as being very strong and determined, while not showing a great deal of anger or cruelty in his face. It is difficult to see his actual face causing the viewer to rely fully on body language in order to decipher his emotion.
The horse is also a component of the etching that truly caught my eye. The horse is displayed as a beautiful, magnificent creature. To me, it almost looks as if the horse is beautiful enough to be on a carousel. The horse has a beautiful mane and armor to wear as well. It is standing on top of the dragon, looking as if it were ready to pounce. The horse is very light, while the dragon is dark and scaly.
In the background, there is a great deal going on. There are trees to the one side and what seems to be people or possibly angels off in the distance. The background of the etching is rather light, similar to the lightness of the horse. Obviously, the lightness of the horse and St. George symbolize the good, while the darkness of the dragon symbolizes the bad. This seems to be a typical work of art that portrays the reign of good over evil.
I do enjoy this etching a great deal. I believe that it is very well done and pays a great attention to detail. I think that is what captures my eye the most; the little extras that were added to the etching to make it more realistic. I think the contrasting of lights and darks helps to display the idea of the triumph of good over evil. I believe that Hopher recognized his talent and used it to the fullest extent. I really enjoyed all of his other works that I viewed as well. They all seem to share the same attention to detail that I find captivating.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Abraham's Sacrifice
While I was looking at different etchings and trying to decide which one to write about next, I continually stumbled upon work by Rembrandt, specifically his work “Abraham’s Sacrifice.” The story of Abraham is that God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice as a test. Because of Abraham’s dedication to God, he went along with the command to kill his son in sacrifice but God sent an angel to stop him after seeing that Abraham would go through with it. This is a very well-known Biblical story that Rembrandt chose to portray in his etching. The image was completed in etching and drypoint.
I think that this etching has a great deal of significance and meaning. First of all, it is based off of a very pertinent Biblical story. This brings an automatic importance to the etching because of the religious message it sends. The way that the angel is holding his hand over the eyes of the boy shows the protectiveness she feels over him. Abraham’s facial expression depicts both surprise and almost shock that he was about the commit this act. The way the angel is placed looks like she is also protective of Abraham, almost hovering over him.
The values it this etching are what caught my eye the most. The background and even the angel seem to be dark, with Abraham and his son both being in lighter tones. This makes the image of Abraham and his son stand out with the background sort of fading behind them. It is as if nothing else matters at that moment in time. The lines, however, are very precise through out the etching. There is a strong sense of perfection in the image.
Looking at the image from farther away, it is does not look like the image is made up of tiny, intricate lines. However, once the viewer gets closer, each individual line can be seen and it is obvious that they are very distinct. I think this is a great etching. It serves its purpose of portraying a story or message to the viewer through the make up of those tiny lines.
I think my favorite part of this etching is the portrayal of the angel. It seems to me, which may not be the way everyone sees it, that the angel is the protector of all. No matter what, the angel will protect Abraham and his son because he has proved his devotion. I also feel that angels are typically depicted as heavenly and not of this world, but in this etching, I feel that the angel is shone as a realistic figure in this world.
I think that this etching has a great deal of significance and meaning. First of all, it is based off of a very pertinent Biblical story. This brings an automatic importance to the etching because of the religious message it sends. The way that the angel is holding his hand over the eyes of the boy shows the protectiveness she feels over him. Abraham’s facial expression depicts both surprise and almost shock that he was about the commit this act. The way the angel is placed looks like she is also protective of Abraham, almost hovering over him.
The values it this etching are what caught my eye the most. The background and even the angel seem to be dark, with Abraham and his son both being in lighter tones. This makes the image of Abraham and his son stand out with the background sort of fading behind them. It is as if nothing else matters at that moment in time. The lines, however, are very precise through out the etching. There is a strong sense of perfection in the image.
Looking at the image from farther away, it is does not look like the image is made up of tiny, intricate lines. However, once the viewer gets closer, each individual line can be seen and it is obvious that they are very distinct. I think this is a great etching. It serves its purpose of portraying a story or message to the viewer through the make up of those tiny lines.
I think my favorite part of this etching is the portrayal of the angel. It seems to me, which may not be the way everyone sees it, that the angel is the protector of all. No matter what, the angel will protect Abraham and his son because he has proved his devotion. I also feel that angels are typically depicted as heavenly and not of this world, but in this etching, I feel that the angel is shone as a realistic figure in this world.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Beauty's Fortune - by Lindsay
Norman Alfred William Lindsay was a very talented artist who lived from February 22, 1879 to November 21, 1969. His work ranged from profiles, to sculpting, writing, cartooning, and scale modeling. Lindsay is to this day seen as one of
Lindsay has many different etchings that he created through out his life. However, there are only a set number of prints created from each plate; each one certified by a stamp to prove it is an original print. The print that caught my attention is called “Beauty’s Fortune.” The majority of Lindsay’s prints are of nude women. In this etching, there are five beautiful women with an aged, not as lovely women sitting at their feet. Not knowing a great deal about this etching, I would assume that the artist is trying to portray the desire that women have who feel they have lost their beauty with age through the sitting woman and the unpublicized notion that women of beauty have more power. The seated position that the older woman is in looks like that of someone who is submissive or of lesser power. However, after closer inspection of the etching, it looks as if there are cards in front of the woman sitting on the floor and the other women seem interested in what she is doing.
The etching is very well done which is obvious for many reasons. One aspect of the etching that stood out to me was that the “beautiful” women were all lighter tones and pressed forward from the darker background. The woman sitting on the ground, however, has a much darker tone, making her skin look wrinkled and aged. Her hair is lighter, portraying that she is older with white or grey hair. The bright tone on the other women make their skin look flawless and tight, a clear sign of youthfulness.
As for the background, it is difficult to tell what it is. It looks similar to a globe of some sort. Or it may be wallpaper or a reflective window. The darkness of the etching makes the room look overall dimly lighted, again making the “beautiful” women stand out.
I really like this etching as a whole. I feel that the tones allow the image to look more realistic than something that has a flat tone. The contrast of lights and darks captures the viewers attention. I believe that Lindsay got his point across, even though the way I interpret the etching may not have been what he was going for exactly. The etching leaves room for interpretation which I believe is important in artwork.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Party Animal
I stumbled upon John Dawson's work while simply "Googling" different types of intaglio etchings. I noticed that some of his etchings were quiet detailed, while others carried a simple image but a strong impression was made on the viewer. Dawson actually attended Northen Illinois University where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and then went on to further his education. Another thing that caught my attention was that he specializes in "works of fine art which are personal, perceptive, and psychological." Most of his works consist of people and are etched onto zinc plates and then printed individually onto paper.
The image shown here is entitled "The Party Animal." This is the first image in the series "Hobby Horse Men" that caught my eye. I feel that Dawson capture the expression on the woman's face with using only suggestive lines for her eye that would be visible. He also uses limited areas of shading, still allowing the woman to look realistic in a way. I believe the best part of this print is the drastic contrast in darks and lights. Dawson truly makes your eye move around the page to examine the dark and light shadows that exist on and around the woman.
I also enjoy the way Dawson made the dress look so realistic. It is obvious that this woman is wearing an elegant, expensive dress with a great deal of material. Again, the contrast of lights and darks, along with the overall preciseness of the lines make the shall or scarf look crumpled up around the woman's arms. However, Dawson also uses shape, edgy lines. This could be due to the image he is portraying or the type of work that this is. The stiff lines almost give the woman a sort-of stiff look overall while she holds her nose up in the air as if that is the way she is feeling.
The part of this work that I like the least I would have to say is the background. Although the technique looks interesting, I do not feel that it suits this woman. It almost feels like she is this elegant woman who loves to go out and enjoy herself, while she seems to be in a dreary, dungeon-like background. However, this may be the feel that the artist was going for so if it is the message he is trying to send, the background works.
Overall, I enjoy this work and feel that it is very well done. I think that the print is very clean-cut and percise. This is the same for the other works of Dawson. None of his works are extrememly detailed, but they are very well done. The all encompass a great deal of contrast with shadows and shading which make the images pop out at you.
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