Lonely Ones

To mennesker. De ensomme (Two Human Beings. The Lonely Ones), 1899
Edvard Munch (1864-1944)
Woodcut
Image and owner: Museum of Modern Art

I think this is my first repetition of an artist (See Munch) I discovered this wonderful woodcut today. A bit moody, a bit sad, I still find the image beautiful. The mood of the image is perfectly equal to Munch's preoccupation with dark themes in direct opposition to Impressionism. Munch, through simple forms (most specifically in his prints), creates strong emotions and attachment to basic themes such as love, death and anxiety.

The woodcut lends itself to a "cutting out" of the figures, similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Each is solidly their own as if they could be plucked out of the landscape. This, along with the moody desolation of the landscape, and the very specific space between them enhances the stark contrast between the land and the water. The image remains seamless where we still see two human beings in one moment despite their separation. Munch reused elements of his works, like the woman in this print. We also see her in the lithograph, Young Girl on the Shore, 1896.

I had a recommendation for a theme week of art recently. If there is anything that you would like to learn more about and discover more of (a movement, period of time, type of media, subject matter...) please leave me a comment, or email at alisonlilith@gmail.com. Don't forget to take advantage of the tags at the bottom of each post to see previously posted art that is connected to what you are looking at.

Villa

Villa am Strande, 4 (Villa on the Shore, 4), 1920
Lyonel Feininger
Woodcut, 26.6 x 34.2 (32.2 x 38.6)
From Online Image Collection, German Expressionist Prints, 1904-1928 (The Goldman Collection)

I love the strong lines and dramatic angles.

Sorry, I didn't get a chance to write much more, I was preoccupied looking at what art to see when I am in the city this weekend!

Ocean

Vija Celmins (American, born Latvia, 1938). Untitled (Ocean with Cross #1). 1971.
Graphite on acrylic ground on paper
17 3/4 x 22 3/4"

Ocean begins a week with a focus on drawing. I was struck by this work when I first saw it at a show at MoMA. I've come across Celmins a number of times since and this work in particular again recently. The detail of the drawing is mind-blowing. This reproduction lends itself to the look of a photograph and this is not much different than seeing it at any sort of a distance in person. Once you move very close to the work you see that it is not a photograph (though I still needed a look at the label to confirm it was a drawing). Celmins has also created this image as a woodcut, just as incredible (maybe more so now that I am aware of the intensity it takes to get comfortable with let alone become adept at any kind of detailed woodcut).

Celmins is particularly interested in the artistic process which explains the attention she has paid to building up surfaces and tackling labor intensive printing processes such as mezzotint and woodcut. Celmin focuses on grand surface landscapes such as the ocean, desert and the surface of the moon. Her drawings and prints are soothing and beautiful.

Wood Landscape

Upon this Bank and Shoal of Time
Orit Hofshi
Ink drawing, woodcut and watercolor on pine wood panels and paper, 1068 x 264 cm, 427.2" x 105.6"

Click on the image to see it in a fuller length and more detail. I saw this work in a small exhibition catalog of the work of Orit Hofshi and Nogah Engler at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Both female Israeli artists, their work is rich and and intricate. Surely, the work of today needs full attention at it's full size, but we'll deal with the extended version on the web. I can't see all of the details so I am not sure if the prints were made from wood to wood or that the woodcuts were printed to paper which was affixed to individual wood panels which were mounted side by side. This creates a beautiful grid effect. The choice of leaving space between each panel allows you to see each panel as its own work in addition to their collaboration as one whole image .I am also not exactly sure about the inclusion of the ink and watercolor but am guessing that it was a simple print transfer with details added with ink and watercolor. One of the great things about printmaking is it's conduciveness to mixed media additions.

Click on the title and you can scroll through the installation process of the work, and get a better idea of it's scale. The combination of sepia and black and white gives varied dimension to the work, moving you from warmth (sepia) to a cooler effect.

Kirchner

Peasant Woman with Boy at Table (Bäuerin mit Knaben am Tisch). (1917).
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. (German, 1880-1938)
Woodcut, composition: 19 11/16 x 15 11/16" (50 x 39.8 cm); sheet: 22 7/16 x 17 1/2" (57 x 44.5 cm). Publisher: unpublished. Printer: the artist, Davos-Frauenkirch, Switzerland. Edition: 11 known impressions. Gift of Grace Borgenicht. © by Ingeborg & Dr. Wolfgang Henze-Ketterer, Wichtrach/Bern
Museum of Modern Art

Current exhibition at MoMA is Kirchner and the Berlin Street. This work isn't related to the show, but definitely check the show out if you are in nyc and if not, check out the online exhibition. While online exhibitions are not as good as the real thing, the growth of them is an awesome way to get access more easily. Especially with thematic shows, being able to just sit and work through an exhibition with text is a great learning tool. Of course I was tipped off to this via a great catalog which I spent a little too much time with this afternoon. Now why did I choose this woodcut for today? If you haven't read or heard I am currently obsessed with prints and these dramatic black and white woodcuts blow me completely away (we're starting woodcuts next week and goodness knows what I'll do with the technique, if it is remotely showable, I'll share it).

There seems to be a problem with MoMA's website so I have no additional link to the image right now, but I'll include it when I can.

Eve

Eve and the Apple II, 1968
David C. Driskell
Woodcut
18.25" x 12.75"
Maryland Printmakers

Another discovery from an exhibition catalog I spent some time with. A new artist for me, David C. Driskell, I fell for Driskell's prints. Unfortunately I haven't found a lot of them online, so if you can get a hold of a book of his work I highly recommend it.

I love woodcuts (form of relief printing) one of the few printmaking techniques I can easily recognize, the distinctiveness of the cuts, their ruggedness, is what I am drawn to. I am looking forward to learning how to do them myself in a few weeks in my printmaking class, if anything it will give me a bit more exposure to the art making process and I can enjoy Driskell's and others' works even more. The style of Eve and the Apple, its cubist formed head, brings thoughts of Picasso,yet the rest of the image veers from that. The sleek and simpleness of Eve's torso is realistic.

Enjoy!