John Piper (1903-1992)*
Blenheim Palacae 1989
Screenprint
26 x 41 ins / 66 x 105 cms
Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003)*
Two Seated Figures on a Blue Wave 1971 Lithograph
30 x 22 ins / 76 x 56 cms
Stanley William Hayter (1901-1988)*
Angels Wrestling 1950
Engraving and Etching
17 x 14 ins / 43 x 35 cms
Edward Bawden (1903-1989)*
Smithfield Market (Detail) 1967
Lithograph after Linocut
18 x 28 ins / 46 x 71 cms
Ana Maria Pacheco (1898-1986)*
Misfortunes of a Sardine (Sardine Fights Back) 2003
Drypoint
6 x 5 ins / 15 x 12 cms
PRESENT Exhibition: Edition -
A Century of British Prints
1906 - 2006
At the beginning of the 20th Century, printmakers still had a foot firmly rooted in the Victorian period. Their predominantly black and white prints focused on traditional scenes from the world around them- landscapes, cityscapes and figurative subjects dominated their work. These small etchings proved enormously popular and the artists were feted and collected like Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst are today.
However, with the stock market crash of the 1930s and the onset of the Second World War, their fame vanished. Printmakers in post-war Britain were influenced by the artistic revolution that had taken place in Europe at the turn of the century. Now they focused on expressive use of colour; bold shapes and lines; abstraction and a broader subject matter. Different printmaking techniques were employed like lithography, screenprinting and aquatint which were better suited to making larger, more coloured, gestural prints.
In the later decades of the century influences shifted again. The ascendancy of the American Expressionist and Pop artists, coupled with the arrival of the media age and a greater interest in political and social issues created a new group of artists. Images that were less pictorial and more graphic began to emerge using strong pure colours, everyday objects and exploiting photography, advertising and design.
Now in the 21st Century, contemporary artists are flooded with information, inspiration and influences. Visually there are no boundaries and technically printmaking is more flexible and more varied than it has ever been before.
To download a complete price list for this exhibition click here (PDF).
Kate Pierrepont
SW1 Gallery