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Painterly Prints

It may be hard to fathom today, but once upon a time prints were monochromatic. When the first generation of Western printmakers challenged themselves to create etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts in color, their efforts were at first viewed with disdain by many. Japanese woodcuts, which had been printed in color for hundreds of years by then, showed artists the way. This revolution was particularly hard-fought for intaglio: etching, aquatint, drypoint, and assorted copper-plate techniques. Etching was regarded mostly as a “graphic” art, from the ancient Greek, γράφειν: to write. The expectation was that the graphic artist was to render his vision in line or grayscale only. Color was for painting. Yet many printmakers forged ahead, threw caution to the wind, pushed the envelope. This selection is an ode to those works of art: painterly etchings.

Krishna Reddy - Insect Butterfly, color viscosity intaglio print, 1952, printed on wove Arches paper, Artist’s proof, abstraction with delicate textures, pure-line engraving, aquatint and drypoint, with rich, subtle color palette. Printed in Paris and given to Bernard Brussel-Smith when he visited and worked at Atelier 17.
$3,500

Insect (Butterfly)

REDDY, Krishna

Color viscosity intaglio print on wove Arches paper.Artist’s proof.  No stated edition has been identified, and the three other impressions found a...

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Arun Bose - Ajuna - color intaglio viscosity - Atelier 17 - Indian artist - framed painting print by Pablo Picasso - detail
$375

Ajuna

BOSE, Arun

Color intaglio viscosity print, with mica ink, printed on wove paper.Edition of 120.Signed and numbered in pencil. The artist obtains effects that ...

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Shaul Banay - Ben Banay - Mm Papillon - Mrs Butterfly - 1975 - detail1
$425

Ms. Butterfly

BANAY, Ben

Mm. Papillon (original French title) Cutout etching and aquatint printed in color on Arches wove paper.Edition of 100.Published by Georgetown Graph...

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Michael Fairclough - Western Isle II - colo aquatint - detail
$350

Western Isle II

FAIRCLOUGH, Michael

Color aquatint on wove paper, 1982.Edition of 100.Published by Georgetown Graphics Inc for the Print Collectors Club, Washington DC.Signed and numb...

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Rene Lorrain - La Coulee - The Casting - aquatinte en couleurs - detail
$1,100

The Casting

LORRAIN, Rene

La Coulée (original French title) Color aquatint and etching on laid paper.Ref: not in BN-IFF.Edition of 50, but like all of this artist’s prints, ...

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Bernard Boutet de Monvel - La Robe Bleue - Petite Fille - detail
$975

The Blue Dress

BOUTET DE MONVEL, Bernard

La Robe Bleue (original French titles) Color aquatint and etching on thick wove paper, 1909.Ref: BN-IFF 2-8; not in Addade.Stated edition of 200 (o...

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Krishna Reddy - Two Fishes - Butterfly Formation - 1957 - Artists Proof - Epreuve d'Artiste - detail
$2,900

Two Fishes

REDDY, Krishna

Color viscosity intaglio print on tan wove paper, 1957.Artist's proof.  No edition as a such.  But clearly used for another edition.Seemingly this ...

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Maurice Taquoy - Buse Prise au Piege - Trapped Buzzard - feathers - detail
$450

Trapped Buzzard

TAQUOY, Maurice

Buse Prise au Piège (original French title) Aquatint and etching printed in color on wove paper.Edition unknown, but apparently not very large.Like...

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Shiou Ping LIAO - Xiuping Liao - 廖修平 - Blessing - 祈求 - pray - color intaglio - detail
$500

Blessing

LIAO, Shiou Ping

祈求 (original Chinese title?) Color intaglio on BFK Rives wove paper, circa 1970.Artist’s proof.  Edition unknown, but apparently scarce.Signed “Lia...

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Terry Haass - Kaleidoscope 5 - 1972 - 284.5 - aquatint and etching cutout triangle yellow green blue
$175

Kaleidoscope 5

HAASS, Terry

Cut-out color aquatint and etching on BFK Rives wove paper.Reference: Spielmann 284.5.Edition of 100.Signed, titled, and numbered in pencil.

Terry Haass - Variations 2 - 1970 - Spielmann 282.2 - pink and blue split circle geometric
$175

Variations 2

HAASS, Terry

Cut-out color aquatint and etching on BFK Rives wove paper. Reference: Spielmann 282.2. Edition of 100. Signed, titled, and numbered in pencil.

Yannick Ballif - Quatre Iles - Four Islands - orange teal vegetation - leaves
$500

Four Islands

BALLIF, Yannick

Quatre Iles (original French title)Embossed color aquatint and linear scuffing on wove paper.Printed to the sheet edge, as usual.Trial proof, aside...

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Terry Haass - Kaleidoscope 4 - 1972 - 284.4 - etching aquatint red purple triangles geometric
$175

Kaleidoscope 4

HAASS, Terry

Cut-out color aquatint and etching on BFK Rives wove paper.Reference: Spielmann 284.4.Edition of 100.Signed, titled, and numbered in pencil.

Terry Haass - Variations 1 - 1970 - Spielmann 282.1 - green geometric circle, aquatint etching
$175

Variations 1

HAASS, Terry

Cut-out color aquatint and etching on BFK Rives wove paper, 1970. Reference: Spielmann 282.1. Edition of 100. Signed, titled, and numbered in pencil.

David Smith-Harrison - Royal Palm with Turkish Design - etching
$900

Royal Palm with Turkish Design

SMITH-HARRISON, David

Etching and aquatint printed in color on wove paper.Edition of 135.Signed, titled and numbered in pencil.

George Jo Mess - Handy Pump - intaglio
$225

Handy Pump

MESS, George Jo

Color etching and aquatint on simili-Japan paper. Edition unknown, but likely small. Signed and titled in pencil. 

Kathleen Spagnolo - Cinema - color intaglio - color viscosity - detail
$600

Cinema

SPAGNOLO, Kathleen M

Color aquatint and etching on Arches wove paper.Artists proof.  Edition unknown, but likely small, if any was printed at all.  We have never seen a...

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Allan Osterlind - Le Bapteme a Treboul - Baptism - Brittany Bretagne - tradition - color aquatint - detail
$750

The Baptism in Treboul

OSTERLIND, Allan

Le Baptême à Tréboul (original French title)  Color aquatint and etching on Arches wove paper.Edition unknown, but like most of the artist’s work s...

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Gerhart Bergmann - Zum Traumen - clematis - vine trumpet flower - sewing cigarettes - detail
$300

To Dream

BERGMANN, Gerhart

Zum Träumen (original German title) Color aquatint and etching on wove paper.Edition of 50.Signed, titled and numbered in pencil.