Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

Frederick Mershimer
Across the Floor.

2011

About the Item

Fred Mershimer created this piece using mezzotint and aquatint printmaking techniques with handpainted watercolor. "Across the Floor" was printed in an edition of 120 in 2011. It is signed, titled, and dated in pencil. This impression is inscribed "81/120" - meaning, it is the 81st impression from the edition of 120 pieces. The paper size is 18.25 x 23.50 and the printed image size is 12 x 18 inches (30.5 x 45.6 cm). This piece pairs beautifully with Mershimer's "Above the Rush." Frederick Mershimer was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He received a BFA in painting from Carnegie Mellon University in 1980. In 1982 Mershimer moved to New York City and continued his studies at the Parsons School of Design, Pratt Graphic Center, and Manhattan Graphic Center. Mershimer celebrates the experience of New York through his art. He creates an evocative realism that transports the viewer beyond first appearances to reveal the hidden beauty of the contemporary city. Before moving to New York, Mershimer was exclusively a figurative artist; but his attention was quickly diverted by the power and energy of the city around him. At first glance, his work can be interpreted as bold naturalism. Yet, he skillfully choreographs lighting and detail while altering perspective to draw the viewer's attention to the essence of the piece. His mezzotints speak to both the grit and grandeur of the modern American city. To translate his visions he has chosen mezzotint- a tonal medium capable of achieving rich blacks and subtle gradations of grays. This painstaking technique requires the artist to spend long hours preparing the “texture ground” on the copper plate before the detail work of the actual image can begin. This preparatory work is done using a curved serrated blade called a rocker. Mershimer's work is in many collections including The Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH; Museum of the City of New York, NY; National Museum of American Art/Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; New Orleans Museum of Art, LA; Queens Museum of Art, NY; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY. The Georgetown University Art Collection, Harvard's Fogg Museum, Library of Congress, New York Public Library, University of Arizona, and the University of New Mexico have also acquired his works. "My images explore the dynamic between the city's architecture and our place within this imposing environment. Never truly understanding the world and my role in it, I find a sense of control by creating dramatic settings where events can unfold. I have always enjoyed the night because it was a place to escape the expectations of society and to reinvent one’s self. Through night scenes, I'm able to capture the city's darker, more mystical, and romantic undertones. Using photographs I have taken of the city for reference, I construct scenes by eliminating objects or changing the perspective to better draw the viewer into the piece. Weaving together the disparate elements into a seamless balance, I manipulate lighting and shadows, fine details, texture, and other pictorial elements to conjure a sense of place and reveal the emotional core of my work."
  • Creator:
    Frederick Mershimer (1958, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2011
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 0.13 in (3.31 mm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU331212447602
More From This SellerView All
  • Above the Rush
    By Frederick Mershimer
    Located in New York, NY
    Fred Mershimer created "Above the Rush" in 2003 using mezzotint and aquatint printmaking techniques. The edition of 120 pieces is printed in color. It is signed, titled, and dated ...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Interior Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint, Aquatint

  • Crossings
    By Frederick Mershimer
    Located in New York, NY
    CROSSINGS Contemporary artist Frederick Mershimer created the mezzotint engraving entitled "Crossings" in 1998. This impression is signed, titled, and dated in pencil. The printed ...
    Category

    Late 20th Century American Realist Landscape Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint

  • Niagara
    By Frederick Mershimer
    Located in New York, NY
    NIAGARA Contemporary artist Frederick Mershimer created the mezzotint engraving entitled “Niagara” in 2021. This impression is signed, titled, dated, and inscribed “5/45”- the 5th ...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Landscape Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint

  • Three Yellowlegs.
    By Frank Benson
    Located in New York, NY
    The drypoint created in 1920 is a working state, the fourth of eight. The eight states are listed in the Frank W. Benson catalogue raisonne by Adam Paff #184. There are two recorded impressions of this print making it a rare find. It is signed in pencil and inscribed "D-2." The Image size 4 3/8 x 5 13/16" (11.1 x 14.8 cm). The final printed edition of "Three Yellowlegs" was 150. Frank Weston Benson (1862-1951), well known for his American impressionist paintings, produced an incredible body of prints - etchings, drypoints, and a few lithographs. Born and raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Benson, a natural outdoorsman, grew up sailing, fishing, and hunting. While a teenager his fascination with drawing and birding developed simultaneously and continued throughout his life. His first art instruction was with Otto Grundman at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and then in 1883 in Paris at the Academie Julian where he studied the rigorous ‘ecole des beaux arts’ approach to drawing and painting for two years. During the early 1880’s Seymour Haden visited Boston giving a series of lectures on etching. This introduction to the European etching...
    Category

    Early 20th Century American Realist More Prints

    Materials

    Drypoint

  • Studio Interior #2.
    By Armin Landeck
    Located in New York, NY
    Armin Landeck made this drypoint in 1936 in an edition of 100. Signed in pencil just under the image in the lower right and inscribed "Ed 100" in the lower left. This pri...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Realist Interior Prints

    Materials

    Drypoint

  • Study of Turnstones.
    By Frank Benson
    Located in New York, NY
    Frank Benson made this drypoint in 1928. The second state of two. A scarce print with no recorded printings of the second state - presumably, at least two were printed. The image size is 4 7/8 x 5 7/8" (12.4 x 14.9 cm). #282 in the Frank W. Benson catalogue raisonne by Adam Paff. Frank Weston Benson (1862-1951), well known for his American impressionist paintings, produced an incredible body of prints - etchings, drypoints, and a few lithographs. Born and raised on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Benson, a natural outdoorsman, grew up sailing, fishing, and hunting. While a teenager his fascination with drawing and birding developed simultaneously and continued throughout his life. His first art instruction was with Otto Grundman at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and then in 1883 in Paris at the Academie Julian where he studied the rigorous ‘ecole des beaux arts’ approach to drawing and painting for two years. During the early 1880’s Seymour Haden visited Boston giving a series of lectures on etching. This introduction to the European etching...
    Category

    Early 20th Century American Realist More Prints

    Materials

    Drypoint

You May Also Like
  • Morning Paper
    By Alessandro Mastro-Valerio
    Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
    Alessandro Mastro-Valerio, 'Morning Paper', 1941, mezzotint, edition 350. Signed in pencil. A superb, richly-inked, luminous impression, on cream, wove paper, with wide margins (1 9/16 to 1 13/16 inches), in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards; unframed. 32nd Presentation Print of the Chicago Society of Etchers, 1941, with the Chicago Society of Etchers blindstamp in the bottom, left margin. ABOUT THE ARTIST Painter and printmaker Mastro-Valerio was educated at the Salvador Rosa Institute in Naples, Italy (1906-1912), and came to the United States in 1913. He settled in Chicago and after a brief period as a commercial artist, established a reputation as a portrait painter. Among his patrons were the industrialists Harvey S. Firestone and Anheuser Busch. Mastro-Valerio was also the owner and editor of the progressive magazine 'La Tribuna Transatlantica'. He wrote and published articles supporting the cause of Italian immigrants. He helped form the Giordano Bruno...
    Category

    1940s American Realist Nude Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint

  • Morning Paper
    By Alessandro Mastro-Valerio
    Located in Fairlawn, OH
    Morning Paper Mezzotint, 1941 Signed in pencil lower right Publisher: 32nd Presentation Print of the Chicago Society of Etchers Edition: 350 Illustrated in GREAT AMERICAN PRINTS 1900-1950 by Norman and June Kraeft Reference: Old Print Shop No. 86 Condition: Excellent Original brown paper hinges in the upper corners recto Plate/Image size: 8 7/8 x 5 15/16 inches Impressions of this image can be found in the permanent collection of: Minneapolis Institute of Art Wichita Art Museum Hope College, Kruizenga Art Museum University of Connecticut, Benton Art Museum Amherst College, Mead Art Museum "Mastro-Valerio was educated at the Salvador Rosa Institute in Naples, Italy (1906-1912), and came to the U.S. in 1913. He settled in Chicago, and after a brief period as a commerical artist, established a portrait studio near the Loop. Among his patrons were the industrialists Harvey S...
    Category

    1940s American Realist Nude Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint

  • Demolition in the Plaza del Toro
    By Reynold Weidenaar
    Located in Palm Springs, CA
    From the artists series of sketches in Mexico, showing a Cathedral and dramatic cloudscape in the background, and a destroyed plaza in the foreground. In 1944 he received a Guggenh...
    Category

    1940s American Realist Landscape Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint

  • Sunrise Dahlia
    By Gatja Helgart Rothe
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    This artwork titled "Sunrise Dahlia" c.1990 is an original colors mezzotint by noted German/American artist Gatja Helgart Rothe, 1935-2007. It is hand signed, titled and numbered 64/...
    Category

    Late 20th Century American Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint

  • Some of 48 Tulips
    By Gatja Helgart Rothe
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    This artwork titled "Some of the 48 Tulips" c.1990 is an original colors mezzotint by noted German/American artist Gatja Helgart Rothe, 1935-2007. It is hand signed, titled and numbe...
    Category

    Late 20th Century American Realist Figurative Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint

  • Rainy Day, Queens
    By Martin Lewis
    Located in New York, NY
    Martin Lewis (1881-1962), Rainy Day, Queens, drypoint, 1931, signed in pencil lower right [also signed in the plate lower right]. Reference: McCarron 94, only state, from the edition...
    Category

    1930s American Realist Landscape Prints

    Materials

    Drypoint

Recently Viewed

View All