The Hockey Fan

Location of the Print:
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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.