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.
While Motherwell's contribution to the art historical canon as a painter is undisputed, his role as a printmaker is arguably just as important. From the early 1960s until his death in 1991, Motherwell worked tirelessly in search of new techniques, whether at his own printmaking atelier or collaborating with others, to expand his ideas and express his aesthetic. He was one of the most experimental and courageous printmakers of the 20th century.
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.
This etching comes from the collection that Motherhwell created to accompany a printed edition of James Joyce's "Ulysses." The etchings originated in the Dedalus Sketchbook of 1892, which marked the beginning of a large body of drawings executed over the next several years.
Emphasizing effect over depiction, each composition was created by charging a plate twice--first to apply a black tentative linear structure, then a dense colorfield. Almost casual in their simplicity, the etchings contrast with the highly wrought texture and unprecedented idiosyncrasy of the novel.
The Ulysses project was very meaningful to Motherwell, the final book meticulously thought out. This loose etching from the project would make a wonderful addition to a Motherwell or Joyce enthusiast's collection.
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
"Ulysses: The Hospital"
USA, 1988
Etching on Johannot paper
Signed "RM" in pencil, lower right
Numbered "27/40" in pencil, lower right
From an edition of 40
13"H 10"W (sheet)
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 461
Note: Framed images coming soon
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