For Alex Katz (b. 1927), printmaking has always been an essential part of his process and an integral part of his oeuvre.
Katz began experimenting with printmaking while attending Cooper Union, where he earned his BA in 1949. He reconnected with printmaking in 1965 with much enthusiasm. Since then, he as created more than 400 editions including lithographs, etchings, silkscreens, woodcuts, and various prints on metal cutouts.
This image holds quite an interesting place in Katz's oeuvre:
"Luna Park 2" is a variation of "Luna Park 1," published 8 years prior. The source of the image comes from the painting "Luna Park," 1960. Today it is in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
"Luna Park 1" (1965) is notable because it was the very first edition he created with a publisher. Katz was very involved in the process, working through over 30 proofs and mixing 63 grey inks to achieve the final version. It marked the beginning of a long and fruitful journey through printmaking.
Proud of the first print, Katz reprised the imagery in 1973 to create "Luna Park 2" with the goal of "achieving even greater perfection." He says that the colours in the second edition are closer to the painting, with more refined hues and various greys and blues.
Evocative of a summer night-scene, two trees stand in the foreground while a glowing moon hangs behind them, shining onto the still water. Katz's mastery is reducing elaborate figurative depictions to their most essential forms.
This elegant and iconic image is extremely meaningful in Katz's oeuvre, and would be a wonderful addition to any existing or new collection of his work.
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"Luna Park 2"
USA, 1973
Screenprint in six colors on Arches paper
Signed "Alex Katz" and numbered PP by the artist in pencil, lower left
From an edition of 60 plus Printer's Proof
37.5”H 28.75”W (sheet)
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. 67
- Alex Katz: Catalogue Raisonné, prints: 1947-2023, listed as cat. no. 68 on page 147
Note: additional images coming soon
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