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' style. Over the succeeding decades, Katz kept the tradition of figurative painting alive.
After graduating from Cooper Union in 1949 he then attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. It was during this time that Katz first embraced printmaking, learned to paint en plein air, and developed a love for Maine that would last a lifetime.
This ethereal screenprint conveys the intrinsically natural interaction of light and water. Depicting a lake just north of Skowhegan, the image captures perfectly the hazy, slow, ephemeral atmosphere of a tranquil lake at sunset.
Despite its almost monochromatic tones, Lake Wesserunsett 2 successfully conveys the contrasting elements of a sunset. Katz skillfully employs form to emphasize the focal point of the moment: a line of clouds, the sun peeking behind them, a horizon of trees, and the sun's shimmering reflection on still water.
For Katz, printmaking has always been an essential part of his process, and as an integral part of his oeuvre. He first began experimenting with printmaking while attending Cooper Union, where he earned his BA in 1949. Though he focused on painting in his early career, he embraced printmaking in the mid-1960s with fervour, and has since created more than 400 editions of lithographs, etchings, silkscreens, woodcuts, and linoleum cuts.
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"Lake Wesserunsett 2"
USA, 1972
Screenprint in five colors on yellowish Arches paper; cut edges
Signed and numbered 5/60 by the artist
From an edition of 60
30”H 36”W (sheet)
Framed with museum glass
Printed by Laurence Rosen, Chiron Press, New York
Co-published by Brooke Alexander, Inc., New York, and Marlborough Graphics Inc., New York
Very good condition.
Literature:
- Maravell 1983, cat. no. 59
- Alex Katz: Catalogue Raisonné, prints: 1947-2023, listed as cat. no. 60 on page 145
Notes: c.f. the painting Sunset at Lake Wesserunsett (1960; exh. cat. New York, PaceWildenstein 2006, p. 21). To distinguish this print from the three others, this version has a white sun and reflection on a grey lake and sky (Maravell).
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