Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), alongside Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, made up the quartet of American abstract painters that radically defined abstraction and established New York City as the center of the art world for the second half of the 20th century.
Motherwell acted as the unofficial spokesman of the New York School -writing, teaching, and lecturing on behalf of the movement, his fellow artists, and the merits of abstraction.
His contributions to painting in the 20th century are matched only by his contributions to printmaking. He was always searching for new techniques, whether at his own printmaking atelier, or collaborating with others, to expand his ideas and express his aesthetic.
Motherwell was deeply inspired by the literary arts. Symbolist poets Charles Baudelaire and Stéphane Mallarmé, along with James Joyce informed his visual practice. He went so far as to name his foundation (Dedalus, est. 1981) after one of James Joyce's characters, Stephen Dedalus.
"The Poet's Eye" was created soon after he made the series of 40 etchings illustrating James Joyce's Ulysses. This bold and evocative print evokes the deep respect that Motherwell had for poets and writers.
Set against a soothing shade of blue, Motherwell creates a gestural form full of power and ambiguity. He applied the black layer using a process called carbordumum--a method of aquatinting with a mixture of metal filings in an acrylic medium painted on a plate.
In the later part of his career, Motherwell was particularly drawn to pure expanses of light blues. The appealing and somewhat gentle hue also references his love for the Mediterranean landscape -- see other examples here & here.
Elegant and raw, this print masterfully balances the sprits of abstract expressionism with minimalism.
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
"The Poet's Eye"
USA, 1990
Aquatint and carborundum on Whatman paper
Signed "RM" in pencil, lower right
Numbered "32/35" in pencil, lower right; artist's chop mark lower right
25.5"H 31"W (sheet)
28"H 33.75"H (framed)
Framed with plexiglass
Published by the artist; released by Waddington Graphics Ltd., London
Printed by Catherine Mosley, assisted by Janis Stemmermann, artist's studio, Greenwich, Conneticut
The paper bears the blindstamp of the artist in the lower right corner
Very good condition
Literature: Engberg, S. & Banach, J. (2003). Robert Motherwell, the Complete Prints 1940-1991. A Catalogue Raisonné. Minneapolis: Walker Art Gallery
Reference: Engberg & Banach 493 | Belknap 429
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