Robert Kipniss. New & Older works.

1. Window w/vase & trees.

Mezzotint, 2016.

Edition 18.

Signed in pencil.

Image size 7 3/4 x 7� (19.6 x 17.8 cm). Very good condition. #92412-1 $850.00

ROBERT KIPNISS NEW AND OLDER PRINTS VOLUME LXXVI

December 2016

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2. Six trees. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 20. Signed in pencil. Image size 14 1/8 x 9 3/4�

(35.8 x 23.6 cm). Very good condition. #92416-1 $1,250.00

­VOLUME LXXVI

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Robert K. Newman, Editor

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NUMBER 3

Robert Kipniss New mezzotints and drypoints with a look back at some wonderful older material.

In this issue of Portfolio we are exploring the graphic work of Robert Kipniss.

In 1967 Robert began making prints in the drypoint technique.

At the

suggestion of his dealer, he tried lithography and found he loved the medium. His graphic work for much of the next two decades was lithographs.

In 1982 while still producing primarily lithographs, he began experimenting with intaglio again - drypoints and a few mezzotints. In 1990 he began working in intaglio, more in mezzotints than in lithography, and within a few years he stopped working in lithography, producing intaglio images only.

The Old Print Shop, Inc., is pleased to offer a fine collection of Robert Kipniss’ graphic work and an occasional oil painting. I encourage everyone to stop by the gallery and enjoy this wonderful work.

EXHIBITION IN OUR 152 LEXINGTON AVENUE GALLERY DECEMBER 1 tHROUGH 30, 2016.

MEET THE ARTIST, SATURDAY DECEMBER 17, 2016, 1-4:30 P.M.

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3. Hillside houses. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 18. Signed in pencil. Image size 13 7/8 x 9 1/4�

(36 x 23.5 cm). Very good condition. #92414-1 $1,250.00

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4. Hillside w/pale tree. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 20. Signed in pencil.

13 3/4 x 9 1/4” (35 x 23.5 cm). Very good condition. #92413-1 $1,250.00

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Image size

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ROBERT KIPNISS PAINTER, PRINTMAKER AND POET Robert Kipniss was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1931. His parents were artists. His mother worked as a fashion artist, and his father designed pages for Sears, Roebuck & Co. On Sundays his father would paint. Kipniss began drawing at an early age, and from the age of three on, he spent most of his time drawing. His parents moved to Laurelton, New York, in 1936 after the birth of his sister. It was here that he found his love for the woods and trees. He spent a great deal of time playing by himself in the woods near his home. Kipniss has always shunned formal art training. Therefore, in 1947 when his mother encouraged him to attend Saturday drawing classes at the Art Students League, he would only attend classes without an instructor. It was at the League that he was first exposed to figure drawing.

High school years were not a strong period for Kipniss. He was more interested in drawing, reading, and playing pool than studying and doing homework. He was finally accepted at Wittenberg College (now Wittenberg University), in Springfield, Ohio. In college, Kipniss discovered an interest in learning and became more serious about his studies. It was during his first year that he began writing poetry. In his second year his roommate was a French exchange student, Pierre Lhomme, who introduced him to French films. In 1950 he decided to be a poet and transferred to the University of Iowa to major in literature.

As with art, Kipniss did not want to be taught but to learn by working, so he avoided creative writing. To continue his love of drawing and painting, he made an arrangement with Professor Stuart Edie to attend painting and studio classes but not to be taught.

He accepted that he would be given a failing grade if it was viewed that he did not make sufficient progress on his own. The next year he entered a painting competition and was awarded his first one-artist exhibition in New York City.

After graduating with his masters from the University of Iowa, Kipniss married Jean Prutton and moved to New York City. At this time, the art world was dominated by Abstract Expressionism, and he was unable to get a gallery to represent him. In 1956 he was drafted into the Army and was stationed in Fort Lee, Virginia. After his discharge in 1958 he and his wife returned to New York City. He was represented by The Contemporaries on 77th Street and Madison Avenue who purchased a few paintings and scheduled a one-artist exhibition for 1959. In 1961 after the birth of his second child, Kipniss moved his studio out of his apartment and got an evening job working for the Post Office.

The working hours and family time cut into his creative time, so he decided to stop writing poetry and concentrate on painting. In 1963 the Post Office wanted him to work full time rather than evenings, so he resigned his position. He got a break when several of his paintings sold and Muriel Werner began representing him selling forty paintings the first year. Werner introduced Kipniss to Murray Roth, the director of FAR Gallery, who continued to sell and represent his work.

Kipniss’ printmaking career began in 1967 when he made a few drypoints. His prints were represented at Associated American Artists. At the annual parties he met other artists including Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Chaim Gross, Louis Lozowick, Raphael Soyer, and many others. In 1968 at Murray Roth’s suggestion, he began making lithographs. This printmaking technique would dominate his graphic work for the next two decades.

Associated American Artists commissioned two lithographs in 1969, and he was introduced to the workshop of George C. Miller and Son. He became very close with Burr Miller and later his two sons, Steve and Terry, and worked exclusively with them. He produced over 450 lithographs, some handcolored, between 1967 and 1991. Since 1991 Kipniss, as a printmaker, has worked in two intaglio techniques: mezzotint and drypoint.

continued on page 95

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5. Chair, vase & curtains. Mezzotint, 2015. Edition 15. Signed in pencil. Image size 6 7/8 x 5 3/4” (17.5 x 14.6 cm). Very good condition. #92351-1 $850.00

6. Still life w/apples & bread. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 12. Signed in pencil.

8 x 7” (19.8 x 17.8 cm). Very good condition. #92411-1 $850.00

Image size

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7. Dark hillside. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 18. Signed in pencil Image size 7 1/4 x 6 7/8�

(19.5 x 17.5 cm). #92418-1 $850.00

8. Far hills at dusk. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 18. Signed in pencil. Image size 9 1/4 x 9 15/16� (23.2 x 25.1 cm). Very good condition. #92419-1 $1,000.00

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9. Six trees. (second state). Mezzotint on chine colle, 2016. Edition 12. Signed in pencil.

Image size 13 1/4 x 5 1/8” (33.8 x 13 cm). Very good condition. #92417-1 $1,100.00

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10. Before morning : chimney & window. Mezzotint, 2010. Edition 40. Signed in pencil. Image size 19 7/16 x 19 5/16” (49.3 x 49 cm). Very good condition. #68197-1 $5,150.00

11. (left) At day’s end.

Mezzotint, 2016.

Edition 18.

Signed in Image size 7 3/4 x 6 7/8” (19.7 x 17.5 cm). Very good condition. #92352-1 $850.00

pencil.

12. (right) Vase & four trees.

Mezzotint, 2015.

Edition 25.

Signed in pencil.

Image size 7 5/16 x 6 1/4” (18.7 x 15.9 cm). Very good condition. #90185-1 $800.00

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13. Landscape w/curtains & crooked tree. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 15. Signed in pencil.

Image size 19 5/16 x 19 1/4” (49 x 48.8 cm). Very good condition. #90590-1 $3,500.00

14. (left) House at the edge of the plain. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 18. Signed in pencil.

Image size 4 3/16 x 4 3/16” (10.6 x 10.6 cm). Very good condition. #92355-1 $400.00 15. (right) Lace V. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 20. Signed in pencil. Image size 4 1/2 x 5 3/4” (11.4 x 14.6 cm). Very good condition. #92354-1 $500.00.

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16 To the horizon. Drypoint, 2016. Edition 15. Signed in pencil. Image size 7 3/4 x 7 1/16” (19.7 x 17.9 cm). Very good condition. #92353-1 $800.00

17. (left) Neighbor at the plain. Drypoint, 2016. Edition 12. Signed in pencil. Image size 7 13/16 x 5 15/16” (19.8 x 15.1 cm). Very good condition. #92340-1 $850.00 18. (right) Reaching. Drypoint, 2016. Edition 12. Signed in pencil. Image size 9 1/2 x 7 7/8” (24.4 x 20 cm). Very good condition. #90594-1 $900.00

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19. A small copse in a field. Drypoint, 2016. Edition 16. Signed in pencil. Image size 6 11/16 x 7 15/16” (17 x 20.2 cm). Very good condition. #92339-1 $850.00

20. (left) Beginnings. Mezzotint, 2014. Edition 25. Signed in pencil.

7 15/16 x 5 7/8” (20.2 x 14.9 cm). Very good condition. #86890-2 $900.00

Image size

21. (right) Garden Gate. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 18. Signed in pencil.

6 11/16 x 4 1/4” (17 x 10.8 cm). Very good condition. #92347-1 $800.00

Image size

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22. Window w/curtain & tree. Mezzotint, 2016. Edition 20. Signed in pencil.

14 x 9 1/4” (35.6 x 23.5 cm). Very good condition. #92338-1 $1,250.00

Image size

23. Hilltop tree. Mezzotint with chine colle, 2016. Edition 12. Signed in pencil. This small image is derived from the larger mezzotint “Window w/curtain & tree.”

Image size 2 15/16 x 2 15/16” (7.5 x 7.5 cm). Very good condition. #92336-1 $250.00

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24. Chair & rooftop. Mezzotint, 2015. Edition 30. Signed in pencil.

6 15/16 x 7 3/4” (17.6 x 19.7 cm). Very good condition. #92435-1 $850.00

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Image size

25. A song of leaves. Mezzotint, 2013. Edition 80 + 15 APs. Signed in pencil. Image size 19 1/4 x 19 1/4” (48.7 x 48.7 cm). Very good condition. #87741-1 $5,500.00

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26. Tomorrow. Mezzotint, 2014. Artist’s proof. Signed in pencil. Image size 13 15/16 x 9 1/4�

(35.2 x 23.4 cm). Very good condition. #81512-1 $2,200.00

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27. (left) Evening trees. Mezzotint, 2015. Edition 20. Signed in pencil.

3 1/16 x 2 9/16” (7.7 x 6.5 cm). Very good condition. #90593-1 $200.00

Image size

28. (right) Fluttering. Mezzotint, 2014. Edition 40. Signed in pencil.

7 3/4 x 7 (19.7 x 17.8 cm). Very good condition. #86893-1 $900.00

Image size

29. (left) Moon at Morning. Mezzotint, 2014. Edition 25. Signed in pencil. Image size 4 1/2 x 4 1/4” (10.8 x 10.5 cm). Very good condition. #87740-2 $600.00 30. (right) Monuments. Mezzotint, 2015. Edition 12. Signed in pencil.

2 9/16 x 3 1/8” (6.5 x 8 cm). Very good condition. #90592-1 $200.00

Image size

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31. Moonrise & sunset. Mezzotint, 2013.

Edition 30. Signed in pencil.

7 11/16 x 6 7/8” (19.6 x 17.5 cm). Very good condition. #81513-1 $1,200.00

Image size

32. (left) Trees & stars. Mezzotint, 2013. Artist’s proof. Signed in pencil.

11 9/16 x 9 1/4” (20.3 x 23.4 cm). Very good condition. #81509-1 $2,800.00

Image size

33. (right) Strong trees in the wind. Mezzotint, 2011. Edition 40. Signed in pencil. Image size 10 x 6 1/8” (24.8 x 15.5 cm). Very good condition. #73670-1 $950.00

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34. Memories. Mezzotint, 2013. Edition 40. Signed in pencil. Image size 7 13/16 x 7” (19.8 x 17.8 cm). Very good condition. #81507-1 $2,200.00

35. Leaves & chair. Mezzotint, 2006. Edition 50. Signed in pencil. Image size 14 13/16 x 19 7/16” (37.6 x 49.3 cm). Very good condition. #43039-4 $3,200.00

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36. Still life w/cup & spoon. Mezzotint, 1998. Edition 50. Signed in pencil. Image size 9 5/16 x 11 9/16� (23.8 x 29.4 cm). Very good condition. #42172-1 $11,500.00

37. At Shire. Mezzotint, 2005. Edition 60. Signed in pencil. Image size 9 1/4 x 12 7/8�

(23.7 x 32.6 cm). Very good condition. #39056-2 $3,200.00

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38. Beginnings. Mezzotint, 2014. Edition 25. Signed in pencil. Image size 7 15/16 x 5 15/16” (20.4 x 15 cm). Very good condition. #86890-2 $900.00

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39. Forest nocturne II. Mezzotint, 2000. Edition 75. Signed in pencil.

9 3/8 x 11 9/16� (23.6 x 29.4 cm). Very good condition. #52426-2 $1,200.00

Image size

ROBERT KIPNISS Books and Reference material.

If priced, the item is available in the gallery.

Robert Kipniss: Intaglios 1982 - 2004. By Trudie A. Grace and Thomas Piche, Jr., Hudson Hills Press, 2004. 183 pages with 156 illustrations. #34913 $60.00 Seen in Solitude: Robert Kipniss Prints from the James F. White Collection.

By Daniel Piersol. New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, 2005. 108 pages and 86 color plates.

Robert Kipniss: Paintings 1950 -2005. By E. John Bullard and Richard J. Boyle.

Published by Hudson Hills Press, 2007. 148 pages with 102 illustrations.

Robert Kipniss: A Working Artist’s Life. By Robert Kipniss. Published by University Press of New England, 2011. 260 pages with 34 illustrations. In this candid memoir, Kipniss recounts the ups and downs of his early career. #74851 $30.00 Robert Kipniss: Paintings and Poetry - 1950-1964. By Robert Kipniss, introduction by Marshall N. Price. Published The Artist Book Foundation, New York, 2013. 144 pages, 60 color illustrations and 32 black and white.

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Kipniss bio continued

As an artist, Kipniss’ work has been accepted in over seventy museums including The Art Institute of Chicago, The British Museum, Brooklyn Museum, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Fitzwilliam Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, Library of Congress, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, National Academy of Design, Philadelphia Museum, and Yale University Art Gallery. He has had numerous single-artist exhibitions including many in museums. His current museum exhibition, Robert Kipniss The Whispering Light, is at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art from October 29, 2016, to January 22, 2017. Hofstra University Museum just closed its exhibition, In Print, February 16 to September 18, 2016.

Kipniss is a member of the National Academy, New York; The Royal Society of PainterPrintmakers, London; The Society of American Graphic Artists; and the Century Association.

WHAT IS AN INTAGLIO? Line Engraving, Drypoint, Mezzotint, Etching, and Aquatint Intaglio has two divisions: engraving and etching. Engraving is where the marks are made by hand and carved or cut into the surface, and etching is where acid is used to carve the surface. Unlike relief, in intaglio, prints are made from the marks made on the surface of the plate. Any metal surface can be used. The most common is copper, as it is easier to carve into than steel and is a more stable material than other metals. Copper plates are often “steel faced,” a process of bonding steel to the surface of the copper after the artist has worked the image into the surface. This is done so that an edition can be printed. With some processes, such as mezzotint and aquatint, the plates can wear down very quickly in printing, yielding only a few impressions without steel facing. In modern times artists have also used Plexiglas as well.

To print an intaglio the artist forces ink into the carved areas of the plate and then cleans the surface, so the ink residue on the surface of the plate is removed or diminished. Paper that has been soaked in water then blotted dry is placed on the plate, along with a series of printing blankets to protect the paper, plate, and press. It is then run between rollers applying tons of pressure per inch. This forces the paper into the carved areas on the plate transferring the ink to the paper. The skill in wiping a plate is important to the final effect on the impression.

WHAT IS A MEZZOTINT? It is a form of intaglio printmaking that creates dramatic, chiaroscuro prints in which whites emerge out of rich, velvety black. Known as the black manner, mezzotint is unique in the intaglio processes because the plate is worked from black to white. With all other forms of intaglio, the artist starts with a clean plate and adds marks to the copper. With mezzotint one starts by texturing the copper plate so it will print as a black field and then slowly smoothing down the texture to bring out the grey passages and white highlights. After the rocking is done, the image is created with a scraper and burnisher. The burnisher, the primary tool for creating the image, handles much like a pencil with one major exception, the harder you push down the lighter the mark becomes. The scraper is the other tool used to create the image, reduces the burrs by shaving them down. By reducing the depth of the textured pitted surface, one controls the amount of ink that will print on the paper.

WHAT IS A DRYPOINT? The artist uses a needle or other sharp device to scratch into the surface of the plate. This raises a burr, which is the small piece of metal that is displaced by the scratching of the surface. This raised burr is important, as it holds the ink. Drypoint plates are fragile and, therefore, will wear out quickly without steel facing.

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40. Camelback Mountain & cloud. Mezzotint, 2009. Edition 60. Signed in pencil.

Image size 19 1/2 x 19 3/8� (49.5 x 49 cm). Very good condition. #66027-2 $4,600.00

This Night of Winter - 1956

What has happened To the reach of the sky tonight‌ The land is dark with trees at sleep And the sky is neither blue nor apparent.

Above, I wonder that the stars Are glittery and shining Like a deserted city with its lights left on.

In these dark hours The earth is only the earth.

Robert Kipniss: Paintings and Poetry - 1950-1964. 2013