HOFSTRA UNIVERSIT Y MUSEUM
David Shapiro (American, 1944-2014), Clearing 12, 2007. Etching and photo-polymer intaglio, 12 x 24 in., Hofstra University Museum Collections. Gift of Judith Schultz, HU2014.19
February 16-September 18, 2016 David Filderman Gallery
Foreword We are perpetually bombarded by images in print. Whether on clothing, billboards, books and magazines, or viewed on our cell phones, tablets and computers, the printed image is a ubiquitous element of our lives. Historically, this was not always the case, as prior to the 15th century, printed images were rare, and more often they were one of a kind. Artistic printed imagery was available to the very few and found primarily in monasteries or churches, or in the palaces of the aristocracy. The tools of the early print artists were limited, with images produced by either carving with sharp implements into wood or incising with tools or acids into a metal plate. Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), the earliest artist featured in the exhibition In Print, was influenced by the spirit of the Italian Renaissance, having traveled to Italy as a young man and fascinated by the work of Piero della Francesca (who wrote about perspective and geometry). Dürer was himself a brilliant painter, draftsman and writer, with his greatest artistic impact in the medium of print – as he literally revolutionized printmaking, elevating it to the level of an independent art form. Dürer’s artistic contributions, exemplified by the work Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus from The Small Passion, is where the In Print chronology begins. As viewers explore the select works, drawn exclusively from the Hofstra University Museum Collections by Karen T. Albert, associate director of exhibitions and collections, the evolution of print processes emerges. The featured works introduce and underscore the impact of new technologies and individual artistic thinking upon the printed image. The viewer engages in a powerful art historical journey that takes one from the late 16th century to the present day. Along the way, works by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, Helen Frankenthaler, Henry Moore, Robert Rauschenberg, David Shapiro, Joan Snyder, Alison Saar, Andy Warhol and other major artists introduce us to processes such as woodcuts, etching, lithography, monoprints, screenprints, and digitally rendered print techniques. The printed image as an artistic form has stood the test of time, and in our contemporary world the tools available to an artist make the individuality of works of art ever more singular. The ability to incorporate ancient techniques as well as digital tools in the development of contemporary works of art provides a treasure trove of endless creative possibilities that excite the imagination. We thank the New York State Council on the Arts and Astoria Bank for their support of this exhibition. Through their generosity, along with that of Hofstra University, visitors to this exhibition and its related programs, as well as individuals viewing this catalog, will be truly enriched.
Beth E. Levinthal
Executive Director, Hofstra University Museum
Curator Statement A print, in the broadest definition, is a work of art composed of ink on paper created through an indirect transfer process and that exists in multiples. The artist draws the image on a surface, either directly on a plate or a stone, or it is transferred from a drawing. The printing plate or stone is further prepared depending upon the technique used, then inked and the image transferred to paper through either hand-pulling or a printing press. Four major printmaking methods have been developed over the centuries: relief, intaglio, and the planographic techniques of lithography and screenprinting. Each printmaking method produces a work on paper that has an individual and identifiable quality. This exhibition of featured works from the Hofstra University Museum Collections provides examples of these four printmaking techniques. The Collections contain more than 2,200 prints (45 percent of Collections overall) in a range of mediums and processes that date from the late 16th century to the 21st century. Printmaking techniques are defined by how and what surface is printed. In a relief print, the raised surface of the block is printed; the most common type of relief print is a woodcut. When the printing surface is below the plane of the plate or incised into the plate, the print is an intaglio. Intaglio prints are produced using a range of techniques, including engraving, etching, drypoint, aquatint and mezzotint. Planographic methods, lithography and screenprinting, create a print from a flat surface that is neither raised nor incised. Prints are created in multiples, allowing many individuals to own the same image. The artist or publisher determines the number of impressions to produce, called the edition. Numbering of print editions began on a sporadic basis in the early 20th century and became a standard practice beginning in the 1960s. The number usually appears as a fraction such as 5/25, which means that the particular print was the fifth one made of the 25 works in the edition. Artists’ signatures can be found “signed in the plate,” meaning their name or initials were incorporated into the image, or in the margin below the image, which became more common around the turn of the 20th century. Prints made with multiple colors require separate blocks, plates, stones or screens for each color. The colors are carefully printed sequentially on top of each other to produce the final image, a process called registration. Printmaking can be a collaborative process, with the artist working with a printer or print studio to create the image. A proof is an impression pulled while the artist is still developing the image, allowing him/her to visualize the final print. The final trial proof before printing the edition may have the initials “B.A.T.” noted on it. Referring to bon à tirer, which means “ready to pull,” the initials represent the artist’s approval of the final image. Other notations on prints may be “P.P.,” a complimentary proof for the printer; “A.P.,” impressions set aside for the artist; and “H.C.” (hors commerce), an extension of the edition that may be printed on different paper. Woodcuts are the oldest form of printmaking, with early examples appearing in fifth century Chinese art. Woodcuts have been used in Europe since the 15th century. Early prints, most commonly woodcuts, wood engravings and metal plate engravings, were often produced to provide illustrations for publications and, in the hierarchy of artists, printmakers were considered “lesser than” painters and sculptors. In the late 19th-early 20th century, European and American artists began to experiment with printmaking, particularly woodcuts and etchings. Interest in printmaking processes continued in the United States during the 1930s and after World War II. The second half of the 20th century saw the establishment of printmaking studios where invited well-known artists worked to create new and innovative prints. Technological improvements and industrial materials changed the graphic processes, including the incorporation of photographically based imagery and increases in the scale of prints. As printmaking techniques have developed over the centuries, artists have explored the possibilities and pushed the boundaries of traditional printmaking. Many contemporary artists view their graphic work as an integral part of their oeuvre and, for some, it is their primary expressive medium. Artists continue to collaborate with printmaking studios in innovative ways, often combining various print processes and adding manufactured or handmade elements to the prints. As seen in Joan Snyder’s Oasis, digital technology has added pathways for this artistic exploration.
Karen T. Albert
Associate Director of Exhibitions and Collections, Hofstra University Museum
Relief Prints Relief prints are most commonly woodcuts and wood engravings. Woodcuts are created by carving into a block of wood and cutting away the areas that will not be printed. The image is created when the ink that adheres to the raised surface is transferred to paper. Wood engravings are produced by using the end-grain of a wood block. The denser, harder wood of the end-grain allows the artist to carve a much finer line than is possible in a woodcut.
Saar, HU2008.4.3
Hiroshige, HU2001.16.1
The woodcut is the earliest form of the printmaking techniques. Two of the earliest examples in the exhibition are a late 16th-early 17th century impression by Albrecht Dürer and a Japanese print by Andō Hiroshige. Wood engravings, in particular, were used throughout the 19th century in illustrated newspapers and other publications, such as Harper’s Weekly. The use of woodcuts and wood engravings waned as photography and lithography, and later commercial screenprinting, became easier and less costly ways of reproducing images in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The early 20th century witnessed a revival of the woodcut print as modern artists, such as the German expressionists, incorporated the rough-hewn appearance of the woodcut in their images, often showing the grain of the wood in their final print as a rebellion against the art establishment.
Leonard Baskin
Fritz Eichenberg
Alison Saar
Leonard Baskin
Ando Hiroshige
Louis Schanker
(American, 1922-2000) The Poet Laureate, 1955 Woodblock 23 1/8 x 48 1/16 in. By Exchange HU92.72.1 (American, 1922-2000) The Poet Laureate, 1955 Woodcut 23 1/8 x 48 in. By Exchange HU92.74
Albrecht Dürer Schanker, HU97.10
(German, 1471-1528) Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus from The Small Passion, 1510, this impression late 16th/early 17th century Woodcut 5 1/8 x 4 in. Gift of Dr. Robert Vogt HU95.37
(American, 1901-1990) Saint Christopher, 1948 Wood engraving 7 1/2 x 5 1/4 in. Gift of Louis Freedenberg HU61.75 (Japanese, 1797-1858) Harima Province: Maiko Beach from Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces, 1853-1856 Woodblock print, ink and color on paper 13 1/2 x 8 15/16 in. Gift of Helen Goldberg, HU2001.16.1
Thomas Nast
(American, 1840-1902) The “Third Term” Trap from Harper’s Weekly, June 20, 1875 Wood engraving 9 x 13 1/2 in. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Mason HU86.76
(American, born 1956) Stride Piano, 1993 Woodcut, 13/18 21 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. Gift of Judith A. Jedlicka HU2008.4.3 (American, 1903-1981) Polo, 1940 Woodcut, 10/30 8 7/8 x 7 1/4 in. Gift of Lou Siegel HU97.10
Max Weber
(American, 1881-1961) Untitled, no date Woodcut 2 7/16 x 4 15/16 in. Gift of Gerald Light HU92.65
Intaglio Prints Intaglio, from the Italian intagliare meaning “to incise,” refers to a number of print processes in which the printed image is created when the inked surface is below the plane of the printing plate. The intaglio processes traditionally use a metal plate. When the ink is applied, it falls into the incised areas, and then the surface of the plate is wiped clean. A printing press forces damp paper into the inked plate, transferring the ink to the paper. A plate mark, the outline of the metal plate, is formed by the pressure and can be seen on the finished print.
Goya y Lucientes, HU95.38
Prince, HU2001.12
An engraving is produced when the design is cut into the plate using a burin (a steel cutting tool with a sharp beveled point), which requires careful control. The resulting image can seem rigid; shadowing and contouring are created using “hatching” or the use of parallel lines. Drypoints and mezzotints also use a sharp implement to incise or scratch the plate’s surface. In drypoints, a ridge forms along the incised line, called burr, producing a soft, blurry line in the printed image. Mezzotints are created by abrading the entire surface of the plate using a rocker (spiked tool). The notable rich, deep black tones and subtle lighting effects of mezzotints are derived from the artist “working the plate” through scraping and burnishing the surface. Etchings and aquatints utilize acid to eat away at the metal plate. The metal plate is covered with a material called a ground, and the artist draws on the prepared plate with a sharp tool that reaches to the metal beneath the ground layer. The softness of the ground allows the artist to draw more freely, thus producing a more spontaneous line quality. When the plate is submerged in an acid bath, the exposed lines will be etched into the metal plate. Aquatint is a powdered ground that results in a soft, grainy surface texture and subtle gradations of tones in the print. An artist often uses these processes in various combinations in order to achieve the desired look for the final image.
Romare Bearden
(American, 1911-1988) The Family from the portfolio An American Portrait, 1776-1976, 1975 Aquatint and photoetching, H.C. 7/25 final state 19 5/8 x 25 3/4 in. Gift of Carole and Alex Rosenberg, HU91.24
Émile Boilvin
(French, 1845-1899) Delacroix (Eugene), Chevaux Se Battant Dans Une Ecurie, 1873 Etching 5 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. Gift of Dr. Milton Gardner, HU92.53.9
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes
(Spanish, 1746-1828) Lads Making Ready (Muchachos al avio) from Los Caprichos, plate 11, 1797-1798, this impression 5th edition issued 1881-1886 Etching and aquatint on paper 7 1/4 x 4 5/8 in. Gift of Dr. Robert Vogt HU95.38
Jacobus Houbraken
(Dutch, 1698-1780) Henry VIII, King of England, 1750 from The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain, volume 2, published by John and Paul Knapton, London, 1752 Steel engraving 14 1/2 x 9 in. Gift of unknown donor, HU78.46.5
Robert Kipniss
(American, born 1931) Pages from a Sketchbook: #2, 1999 Ink on paper 7 1/2 x 6 7/8 in. Gift of James F. White, HU2015.25 Pages from a Sketchbook: #2, 2003 Drypoint, 39/60 9 7/8 x 8 in. Gift of James F. White, HU2011.10 Seclusion, 2000 Copper plate 7 7/8 x 7 in. Gift of James F. White, HU2015.22 Seclusion, 2000 Mezzotint, artist proof 7 3/4 x 6 7/8 in. Gift of James F. White, HU2015.21
Edouard Manet
(French, 1832-1883) Profile of Charles Baudelaire with Hat II (Charles Baudelaire de profil en chapeau II), 3rd state, 1869 Etching 3 3/4 x 3 1/4 in. Gift of Dr. Robert Vogt, HU92.67
Mary Prince
(American, born 1948) Sound Lightning, 2001 Intaglio monoprint with watercolor and chine collé, 1/1 17 x 12 in. Gift of the artist, HU2001.12
David Shapiro
(American, 1944-2014) Clearing 12, 2007 Etching and photo-polymer intaglio, pigment on fiber, A.P. 3/3 12 x 24 in. Gift of Judith Schultz, HU2014.19
Planographic Prints – Lithographs
Albright, HU77.153
Lithography, a planographic process where the printing surface is at the same level as the non-printing surface, is based upon the principle that grease and water do not mix. Invented in 1798 by Alois Senefelder, lithographic prints capture the hand of the artist and often resemble drawings. An artist draws with a greasy crayon or paints with a liquid tusche directly on the stone or plate. The stone is chemically treated, dampened and, when inked, the ink adheres to the greasy areas and not to the dampened areas. When paper is pressed against the stone, the ink from the greasy areas is transferred to the paper. Additional applications of ink adhere to the same greasy areas, allowing for the creation of multiple images. Along with other printmaking techniques, lithography saw a revival in American art during the mid-20th century by artists such as Robert Motherwell and Robert Rauschenberg.
Ivan Le Lorraine Albright
Bacon, HU77.155
(American, 1897-1983) Self Portrait – 55 East Division Street, 1947 Lithograph 14 1/8 x 10 1/8 in. Gift of Edwin S. Marks, HU77.153
Peggy Bacon
(American, 1895-1987) The Priceless Find (Antique Shop), 1943 Lithograph 7 7/8 x 6 1/8 in. Gift of Edwin S. Marks, HU77.155
Moore, HU79.8
Henry Moore
(British, 1898-1986) Thirteen Standing Figures, issued with the book Heads, Figures and Ideas by George Rainbird and New York Graphic Society, 1958 Lithograph, 118/150 12 x 9 7/8 in. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Tucker, HU79.8
Robert Motherwell
(American, 1915-1991) Untitled from the portfolio New York International, 1966 Lithograph from one zinc plate, 84/225 19 x 14 in. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Tucker, HU79.3
Rufino Tamayo
(Mexican, 1899-1991) The Obscure Man, 1975 Lithograph 25 1/2 x 19 5/8 in. Gift of Carole and Alex Rosenberg, HU86.224
James McNeill Whistler
(American, 1834-1903) The Terrace, Luxembourg, 1894 Lithograph 8 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. Gift of Mrs. Barnes, HU64.191
Planographic Prints – Screenprints
Frankenthaler, HU79.12
Screenprinting, similar to lithography, is a planographic process where the printing surface is neither raised nor incised. Also known as serigraphs or silkscreens, screenprints use a stencil process. On a tautly stretched screen, an artist, using a varnish-like substance, blocks out the areas of the screen that will not be printed. Paper is placed under the screen and ink forced onto the paper through the open areas of mesh with a squeegee. Screenprinting was used commercially in the 1930s, with artists, particularly Pop artists like Robert Indiana and Andy Warhol, adapting the technique in the 1960s. This printmaking technique can produce large areas of saturated, flat color, and technology has enabled artists to photographically reproduce images with the screenprinting process. Pushing the limits of traditional printmaking, artists also combine different processes with screenprinting, including lithography, collage and, more recently, digital printing. The impact of technology on the printmaking process includes scanning and manipulating images, transferring designs to screens or blocks, and the digital printing of the finished work of art.
Josef Albers Snyder, HU2015.7
(American, born Germany, 1888-1976) Vice Versa (Ochre), 1971 Screenprint, 2/100 12 3/8 x 25 5/8 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Lipton HU96.67
Helen Frankenthaler
Warhol, HU2014.11
(American, 1928-2011) Air Frame from the portfolio New York 10, 1965 Screenprint on Arches double weight watercolor paper, 125/200 21 1/2 x 16 3/4 in. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Tucker HU79.12
Robert Indiana
(American, born 1928) Love, 1968 Screenprint, 87/100 22 x 22 in. Gift of unknown donor HU2003.13
James Rosenquist
(American, born 1933) For Artists from the portfolio Artists Rights Today, 1975 Screenprint with attached belt, H.C. 30 1/16 x 22 5/16 in. Gift of Carole and Alex Rosenberg, HU86.169
Robert Rauschenberg
(American, 1925-2008) For Artists Rights Today, 1976 Lithograph, screenprint and collage, H.C. III/X 30 x 22.75 in. Gift of Carole and Alex Rosenberg HU86.170
Joan Snyder
(American, born 1940) Oasis, 2006 Digital print with four-color screenprint and hand-applied Prismacolor, 134/200 18 x 19 7/8 in. Gift of Eleanor Rait HU2015.7
Andy Warhol
(American, 1928-1987) Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland (Reigning Queens Royal Edition), 1985 Screenprint and diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board Extra, out of edition. Designated for research and education purposes only. 39 3/8 x 31 1/2 in. Gift of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc. HU2014.11 © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc.
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY STUART RABINOWITZ
President Andrew M. Boas and Mark L. Claster Distinguished Professor of Law
GAIL M. SIMMONS
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM BETH E. LEVINTHAL Executive Director
KAREN T. ALBERT
Associate Director of Exhibitions and Collections
KRISTY L. CARATZOLA Collections Manager
KARLA ODERWALD
Senior Assistant to Executive Director
NANCY RICHNER
Museum Education Director
RENEE B. SELTZER Museum Educator
CHRISTINE M. BURNS Museum Educator
CHARMISE WOODSIDE-DESIRÉ Communications Director
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP Mairead Senk
GRADUATE STUDENT ASSISTANTS Lauren Cristino Christopher Fontaine Joie M. Johnson-Walker
Additional exhibition funding is provided by Astoria Bank and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
UNDERGRADUATE ASSISTANTS Joseph Aquino Alexis Fiore Olivia Klawonn Joseph Tuscano Allison Wolf
© 2016 Hofstra University Museum All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the Hofstra University Museum.