“Ink & Grain” to open in September

Autumn Road Santa Fe. By Norma Basset Hall. Color woodblock, 1928. Signed in pencil by the artist.

The Old Print Gallery is proud to announce its new fall print show, Ink & Grain, which will open on Friday, September 19, 2014 with a free opening night reception from 5-8pm at the gallery. Ink & Grain is a group show, highlighting 20^th century printmakers who excelled in woodcuts and wood engravings. The exhibit will remain on view at the Old Print Gallery until November 15^th, 2014.

One of the most ancient forms of printmaking, the woodcut was in huge decline in the 19^th century, as printmakers turned to other forms of reproductive mediums. Luckily, the 20^th century saw a revived and energized artistic expression for woodcuts and wood engravings. These new woodcut artists experimented heavily with technique, in ways both innovative and nuanced. Printmakers, like Werner Drewes and Barbara Latham, incorporated the grain of the woodblock directly into the composition of their prints- surrendering to its complexities while highlighting its unique, undulating patterns. Others, including Gustave Baumann, Leo Frank, Norma Bassset Hall, and Luigi Rist, experimented with new methods of ink and color application, resulting in stylized prints in a bold, modern palate, as well as softer, luminous color prints inked onto thin Japanese paper.

Sea Shell and Garlic. Luigi Rist. Color woodcut, 1947. Signed in ink on the block. Titled and inscribed “150 Edition” in pencil.

Wood engravings also saw a resurgence during the 20^th century, especially in the form of artist’s hand-made books and commercial book illustrations. The show includes works by skilled wood engravers Clare Leighton, Lawrence N. Wilbur, and John Murphy, all who made a name for themselves as dynamic illustrators and artists.

Digging Potatoes. By Clare Leighton. Wood engraving, 1935. Signed and titled in pencil. Edition 30.

Selected Artists: Gustave Baumann, Asa Cheffetz, Werner Drewes, Leo Frank, Antonio Frasconi, Eliza Draper Gardiner, Norma Bassett Hall, Barbara Latham, Clare Leighton, Alessandro Mastro-Valerio, John J. A. Murphy, Luigi Rist, Mabel Royds, Charles Svendsen, Paul Wenck, Lawrence N. Wilbur, and Adja Yunkers.

 

New Additions: 20th Century Printmakers

The Old Print Gallery has been exhibiting early and mid-20th century prints for seven years now- a (very exciting) result of joining forces with The Old Print Shop in 2006. In the past month, we have added prints by several new (to us) 20th century printmakers- which we are happy to share with the OPG blog readers today. Below is a sampling of  works by three new artists ( the other three artists will come in a later post). We hope you enjoy the new additions to our ever-growing collection of fine prints.

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 John J.A. Murphy ( 1888-1967)

Murphy was an American  painter, wood engraver and book maker, who studied at Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Art Student League, and the London Central School of Art. He participated in the early 20th century revival of the woodblock print, often exploring religious and metaphysical subject matter. Murphy completed his major wood engraving print series “The Way of the Cross” in 1921, which featured 14 black and white prints on Japanese Paper. He also wrote poems to accompany many of his wood engravings.

Athletes. By John J. A. Murphy. Wood engraving, c.1930. Edition unknown. LINK.

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Norma Bassett Hall (1889- 1957)

Norma Bassett Hall was a printmaker and painter, best known for her color woodcuts in the style of the Arts and Crafts movement- representational scenes of the West printed in strong color with dynamic contrast. Born in Oregon, Hall attended school at the Chicago Art Institute, before returning to Portland to set up her own studio. From Portland, she and her etcher husband traveled to a long list of destinations, including Kansas, France, Britain, Scotland, Virginia, and New Mexico. Hall’s early prints are all woodblocks printed with opaque oil-based inks. She later shifted to using water-based inks after meeting and studying with Japanese printmaking expert Mabel Royds in Scotland. Hall was one of the 10 artists that formed the Wichita-based print collective Prairie Print Makers, and the only female member. Always drawn to color, Hall’s landscapes sometimes employed as many as seven different blocks, all cut into her favorite hard cherry wood.

Autumn Road Santa Fe. Norma Bassett Hall. Color wood block, 1928. Signed in pencil by the artist. LINK.

Laguna Skyline. [New Mexico.] By Norma Bassett Hall. Color woodblock, 1931. Signed and titled in pencil. LINK.

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Roi Partridge (1888-1984)

Born in Centralia, a territory in Washington, Partridge spent his early artistic years in the Pacific Northwest- exploring nature and all Western scenery had to offer with a small group of fellow artists called the Triad (which consisted of Partridge, John Davidson Butler and Clare Shepard). In 1909, he moved to NY and studied a year at the National Academy of Design- his brief and only stint with art school. Traveling to Munich, and not able to afford formal art classes, he worked informally with the printmaker Brockhoff. It is during his time in Germany that he was first introduced to etching. Partridge then moved to Paris, where, again, in lieu of art school, he compulsively read art books and kept a diligent schedule of sketching Parisian architecture, scenes, and portraits. He also worked as a printmaker, under the guidance of friend and mentor Bertha Jaques, founder of the Chicago Society of Etchers.

In 1914, he returned to Seattle, where he worked until 1917, when he and his family moved to San Francisco. He taught at Mills College in California, and served as the first Director of the College’s art gallery. Upon returning from Europe, he almost exclusively printed scenes of nature. His circle of friends in California consisted of great artists Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, and Edward Weston- all were mesmerized by the beauty of their natural surroundings, trying hard to capture its essence in art.

On the Range. By Roi Partridge. Etching, 1932-33. Edition 63. Signed in plate lower right “Roi Partridge 1932-33.” LINK.