Alex Katz (b. 1927) has been dedicated to art-making since the 1950's - however, it wasn't until the 60's when he established his signature 'flat' figurative style. Over the succeeding decades, Katz kept the tradition of figurative painting alive as it had gone out of style.
The Ada Four Times series captures Katz's wife and muse, Ada, in a sequence of poses. Fascinated by the dynamics of looking and being seen, Katz offers a nuanced study of Ada's presence through his own perception. Katz is at his best capturing the varied dimensions of a single moment. Each image in the series highlights a different angle of Ada's features.
This image, "Ada Four Times 4," is the most direct facing from the group. Ada stares not quite at the viewer but just beyond, poised, elegant and stoic in expression. With slightly upturned lips, downcast eyes, and an eyebrow slightly raised, she is depicted in a pensive, gentle state.
It is worth pointing out Ada's shirt which is (uncharacteristically for Katz) intricately depicted, a dynamic counterpart to the sweeping planes and tones of her face, neck, and hair. It is quite rare for Katz to depict an abstract pattern in his work and it epitomizes his interest in the bridge between figuration and abstraction.
This series is the first instance of Katz using printmaking as preparation for a painted composition, as opposed to the other way around. Since the series was created in the late 70's, the artist has used this format for pictures of dancers, using the print(s) to influence the painting.
For Katz printmaking has always been an essential part of his process, and an integral part of his oeuvre. He began experimenting with printmaking while attending Cooper Union, where he earned his BA in 1949. Though he initially focused on painting, he returned to printmaking in the mid-1960s with much enthusiasm. Since then he has created more than 400 editions including lithographs, etchings, silkscreens, woodcuts, and various prints on metal cutouts.
An edition of this print (Ada Four Times 4) is in the permanent collection of The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Several other prominent institutions hold prints from the series in their collections.
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"Ada Four Times 4"
From Ada Four Times, a series of four prints
USA, 1979/80
Screenprint and lithograph in ten colours on Arches Cover White paper; deckle edges left and right; torn edges top and bottom
Signed "Alex Katz" and numbered "76/120" by the artist in pencil, lower left
From an edition of 120
30”H 22.5”W (sheet)
32.75"H 25"W (framed)
Printed by Styria Studio Inc., New York
Very good condition.
Literature:
- Maravell 1983, cat. no. 119
- Alex Katz: Catalogue Raisonné, prints: 1947-2023, listed as cat. no. 121 (alongside the full series) on page 163
Notes: based on the cutout Black and White Blouse (1978; exh. cat. Trento 1999, pp. 68/69). These prints precede a painting (Ratcliff, Interview with the artist, p. 32). Cf. the painting Walk (1970, exh. cat. Trento 1999, pp. 66).
Note: additional framed images coming soon.
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