FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, April 20, 2012
Washington, DC: The Old Print Gallery is pleased to present Capturing the Verve: Prints and Bronzes by Robert Cook, which opens on May 18, and runs until July 14, 2012. Works in this one-man show span over 30 years of the artist’s drive to interpret motion. With a secure grasp of the human and animal form, Cook, using the lost-wax process, transforms his subjects into pure and potent representations of their own energy and power. A leg kicked to the sky, a figure stretched out to its limits, forms tumbling, running, dancing- the energy from his bronzes is both palpable and contagious. Cook’s work divulges a remarkable sense of tension and strength, all revealed in the interplay between layers of stretched bronze and open spaces. Most notable is Cook’s understanding of both the movement and the humanistic urges and intentions that fuel the movement.
High Stepper by Robert Cook. Bronze, 1998.
Cooks prints are two dimensional rhythmic abstractions- chaotic, yet uncluttered, expressions of the figure and the space around it. Working in black and white, he offers a spirited and purified depiction of the energy and emotion contained in a movement. His prints are an undeniable indication of a lifelong, intense and dedicated study of motion and the natural form across all mediums. Robert Cook was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1921, and first studied under George Demetrios. After serving with the U.S. Engineers in World War II, Cook stayed in Paris to study with Marcel Gaumon at l’Academie des Beaux Arts. In 1948, Cook moved to Rome and worked out of his Via Margutta studio. He later moved to Canale-Monterans, where he built a large studio set amongst the Italian countryside. Cook has had one man museum shows in Boston, New York City, Richmond, and internationally in Rome. Jasillo Press published a four-book series of his work and commissions, and a documentary film “The World of Robert Cook” was produced by New York and London-based Beachtree Productions. About The Old Print Gallery: Established in 1971, and known for its wide selection of antique prints and maps, in the last four years The Old Print Gallery has expanded into the world of contemporary printmaking. The gallery was transformed to create space to showcase new work by artists such as Nickolas Schiller, Susan Goldman, and Jake Muirhead, as well as local printmakers from the Washington Printmakers Gallery. The Old Print Gallery now also hosts printmaking workshops and demonstrations, establishing itself as a source of inspiration and information for print artists, enthusiasts, and the general public. ### Media contact: Caroline Bonardi, Laura Graham/ 202-965-1818/ info@oldprintgallery.com The Old Print Gallery st 1220 31 Street NW Washington DC 20007 www.oldprintgallery.com