Valton Tyler
154 Foot Sculpture That Never Was
1971

About the Item

In The New York Times Arts in America column, Edward M. Gomez writes of Valton Tyler, "visionary seems the right word for describing his vivid, unusual and technically refined paintings, prints and drawings, whose style defies convenient labels. Abstract, surreal, cartoonish, sci-fi fantastic, metaphysical, apocalyptic-Baroque - all of these fit but also fall short of fully describing his art." (The Living Arts, June 13, 2000, p. B2) Valton Tyler was born in 1944 in Texas, where "the industrial world of oil refineries made a long-lasting impression on Valton as a very young child living in Texas City." (Reynolds, p. 25) After leaving Texas City, Valton made his way to Dallas, where he briefly enrolled at the Dallas Art Institute, but found it to be too social and commercial for his taste. After Valton's work was introduced to Donald Vogel (founder of Valley House Gallery), "Vogel arranged for Tyler to use the printmaking facilities in the art department of the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where the young artist essentially taught himself several demanding printmaking techniques. 'It was remarkable,' Vogel says. 'Not only did he learn complicated etching methods, but he was able to express himself powerfully in whatever medium he explored.' Vogel became the publisher of Tyler's prints. Among them, the artist made editions of some 50 different images whose sometimes stringy abstract forms and more solid, architecturally arresting elements became the precursors of his later, mature style." (Gomez, Raw Vision #35, p. 36) "154 Foot Sculpture That Never Was" is Plate Number 38, and is reproduced in "The First Fifty Prints: Valton Tyler" with text by Rebecca Reynolds, published for Valley House Gallery by Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, Texas, 1972. In "The First Fifty Prints," Reynolds writes, “the rectilinear aspects of this plate reflect the care and control with which Valton plans his compositions. He has restricted his design to horizontals and verticals and has simplified the grandiose forms and burnished their surfaces to emphasize the role of each element in the composition. The dark grid lines etched deeply into the aquatint reflect the basic pattern of the design and hold the structures together ‘like supports.’ To contrast with the cold metallic forms Valton added the soft balloon dome on the tower on the right and the mysterious head and face that lies horizontally across the two towers on the left. This face, Valton says, ‘is like a cow. The skin is very pliable and soft. The forms at the top are ice cream cones. The entire sculpture is a dairy or factory where dairy products are processed.’ (Reynolds, p.112) Media: soft ground, aquatint, and line etching on BFK Rives rag paper Paper size: 27 1/2 x 38 1/4 inches Edition: 5 Artists Proofs Imp. 50 Signed Prints Imp. Bibliography: Edward M. Gomez, "Futuristic Forms Frolic Under Eerie Texan Skies," The New York Times, June 13, 2000, page B2. Edward M. Gomez, "Valton Tyler's Techno-Organic Landscapes," Raw Vision 35, Summer 2001, pages 34-39. Rebecca Reynolds, "The First Fifty Prints: Valton Tyler," published for Valley House Gallery by Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, Texas, 1972.

Creator:
Valton Tyler (1944, American)
Creation Year:
1971
Dimensions:
Height: 23 in (58.42 cm)Width: 33.75 in (85.73 cm)
Medium:
Aquatint,Rag Paper,Etching
Movement & Style:
Surrealist
Period:
1970-1979
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: VT-38-011stDibs: LU2572436011
View Invoice