Jane Kent

The Blue Optimist

2006

Signed, dated, titled and number Edition: 25 (1/25), never fully realized Provenance: Estate of the artist Etching, engraving and color aquatint Sheet: 10 5/8 x 13 1/2"; Image...

Beyond (sic) - IX Mezzotint, n.d. Signed, titled and numbered in pencil (see photos) Edition: Unique impression (i/I) Ninion and Sheldon Landy were major collectors of Hamanishi's works. They donated a large group of his mezzotints to Art Institute of Chicago, which formed the core of the exhibitions of his works at AIC in 2014 and again in 2019. Condition: excellent Plate/Image size: 9.75 x 7.75 inches Sheet size: 12 1/2 x 9 5/8 inches Provenance: Ninion and Sheldon Landy, Hamanishi's patrons EXTREMELY RARE-UNIQUE Katsunori Hamanishi Born: 1949, Hokkaido Medium: Mezzotint, with relief printing and metallic foil. Also a few woodblocks Hamanishi studied painting and graduated from Tokai University with a degree in Art, in 1973. Since then, he has been living in the Tokyo area, where his primary focus is printmaking. Mezzotint is a variation of intaglio printing--an exacting and laborious process whereby ink is transferred from below the surface of the plate by use of a press. First, the entire copper plate is indented with a toothed steel rocker tool. Worked in all directions, this creates an even finely-grained texture over the surface of the plate. Each pit will hold ink and were the plate inked at this stage, it would print almost solid black. To create the design the artist smoothes out some of the pits with a burnisher so they will hold less ink. Where highlights are required the plate is burnished and polished quite smooth. A wide range of tones are possible in mezzotint and the process can usually be recognized by a light design on a velvety black background. Hamanishi is internationally known for his mastery of this medium. He creates images with both subtle detail and dynamic composition that explore spatial relationships. His genius is in balancing calm and meditative qualities with the energetic tensions of inanimate and natural objects. Early work had such things as pipes and branches wrapped with cloth, later rope, then straw. When he moved to a more rural area, rice fields became a common element. He has also been exploring the use of color and metallic leaf in his artwork. In 2005 Mr. Hamanishis began the Haze series exploring more abstract themes using the subtle differences between matte and black inks done in mezzotint and relief printing. There is always a sense of mystery and intrigue in the complex mezzotint prints that come from Hamanishi’s deft hands. They compel the viewer to do a slow, thoughtful examination in order to fully absorb the vision the artist intends. Exhibitions: Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts --2 person show with Hamaguchi Ibiza Biennial, Spain--Grand Prize Original Colored Graphic Print Triennial, Switzerland--Grand Prize Cabo Frio International Print Biennial, Brazil--Grand Prize CWAJ Print Show, Tokyo--Art Grant winner Republic of China Print Exhibit--Gold Medal Graphic Arts Council, Achenbach Foundation, San Francisco--commissioned print Art Institute of Cleveland University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada--visiting artist Shun-yo-Kai, Tokyo--prize winner Bhara Bhavan International Print Biennale, India Ren Brown...

Bat Embossed color aquatint and etching on Arches paper, 1976 Signed by the artist in pencil lower right (See photo) The Print Club of Cleveland stamp verso Edition: 261 The Print Cl...

Between Air and Water #18 Color soft ground, Spit Bite Aquatint and Drypoint on Gampi Chine Colle, 1992 Signed, titled, and dated in pencil (see photo) Annotated: A.P.4 (see photo) C...

Untitled 2 Aquatint and drypoint, 2008 Initialed, dated, and editioned in pencil by the artist Edition of 14 Plate size: 11 1/2 x 11 inches Sheet size: 20 1/2 x 19 inches Adam Fowl...

Baby, Baby Etching & aquatint printed in colors, 1991 Signed, dated, titled & numbered in pencil (see photos) Edition: 35 (4/35) plus 10 AP Condition: Excellent, colors fresh Image...

Fragment. 2001. Etching, aquatint and mezzotint. 11 1/2 x 10 3/4 (sheet 20 1/2 x 15). Edition 30, #7. A fine impression printed on the full sheet with deckle edges. Presentation prin...

Over a period of four years, Stella created a body of prints whose titles all came from ‘The Dictionary of Imaginary Places’ by Alberto Mangual and Gianni Guadalupi. Each work from t...

Two whaling ships meet out at sea, one named after an Indigenous American tribe and the other after the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, the latter set upon by a malignant epidemic and a sailor gone mad with the belief that he is the Archangel Gabriel. Both ships are plagued, one by sickness and the other by obsession, and neither heeds the warnings of the mad prophet. Built out in layers of paper that have been printed using techniques like lithography and etching, this colossal print by Frank Stella employs careful color against warping black and white grids to give the impression of control slowly slipping and giving way to chaos. Photos don't give this piece proper justice; it is carefully collaged in purposeful layers that constantly pull the eye in every direction and the viewer closer and closer in. The Pequod Meets the Jeroboam: Her Story...

1987 Etching, aquatint and drypoint in colors, on wove paper Sheet: 15 3/4 x 18 3/4 in. Edition of 71 Signed, dated and numbered in pencil, lower margin

Alexandre Arrechea´s work remains caught in an endless uphill climb towards a new representational framework. The pieces he produces serve as a warning of our own limits and how pret...

Alexandre Arrechea´s work remains caught in an endless uphill climb towards a new representational framework. The pieces he produces serve as a warning of our own limits and how pret...