Bodas De Sangre Printmaking By Jerry Di Falco

Year:

Medium:

Etching Print

Size - (USA):

16 W x 15 H x 1 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

40.6 W x 38.1 H x 2.5 D (centimeters)

Theme:

War

Edition:

Original

Artwork ID:

603069

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

Title is, LORCAS LAST EDITION, BODAS DE SANGRE or BLOOD WEDDING. I used two zinc etching plates for this “diptych”, and each plate measured seven-inches high by five-inches wide, or 17.780cm x 12.700cm. The overall image size measures slightly over seven-inches high by ten-inches wide, or 17.780cm x 25.400cm. French, oil-based etching inks were used with Rives BFK white etching paper. The ETCHING METHODS EMPLOYED included Intaglio, Aquatint, Drypoint and Chine collé. The inspiration for this work came from an 1987 experience I had while in Granada, Spain, and the image is from a photograph I shot inside the Alhambra on an October night. A Cuban poet, Nelson Blanco 1947-1993, and I were searching the area where the Spanish poet, Frederico Garcia Lorca, was murdered during the Spanish Civil War. Our research led us to a rural area outside Granada. As we approached a secluded meadow, which sat atop a knoll, we saw levitating red spheres and heard sorrowful moans deep with the wooded areas in which we found ourselves. Lightning bugs painted eerie lines in the night as we listened to howling dogs and gypsy music floating from the caves of Sacre Mont. We somehow walked up a mountainside path to a cluster of pine trees and went thought some oversized hedges. A line of lightning bugs proceeded us and seemed to point the way. We soon realized we had walked through a hole in a fence and right into the Gardens of the Alhambra. This is where I shot the photo of a cloaked figure standing at the far end of a Moorish reflecting pool. The title of the FIRST EDITION of this work is called“Dale café, pronounced Dah-LEY cah-FEY, And With These Words. . . Lorca Vanished Cries in Granada.”I used both English and Spanish words. In Spanish, “Dale Café”, means “Give him coffee.” However during the Spanish Civil War, a right-wing military fascist used this exact phrase as a euphemism to mean kill a prisoner by firing squad. And so with these words, Spain’s openly gay poet and playwright, Frederico Garcia Lorca, was killed via the oders of the Fascist General, Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, who exclaimed, Dale café, mucho café”. In the Chine Collé Process, methylcellulose powder is re-constituted with water and then painted onto hand-dyed mulberry-bark paper from Thailand, brand Unryu. In Japan, Unryu translates as CLOUD DRAGON paper because it has long swirling threads of kozo fibers integrated in it, thereby giving the texture and visual effect of clouds. Kozo fibers come the branches of the kozo paper mulberry bush, specifically the innermost of three layers of bark, which must be removed, cooked, and beaten before the sheets are formed. Kozo is harvested annually. The treated Thai paper is then allowed to dry overnight and I cut it to fit the plate areas where I want color to exist in the print. These stenciled mulberry-bark papers are first dampenedmisted with water and placed upon the already inked and wiped etching plate. The printing process continues, and a multi-colored image on paper resulting. This hand-done process is a difficult and laborious one, which I do myself every step of the way. Please note that this etching is shipped to the buyer without a frame or mat. This keeps the price reasonable and also allows the collector a wide range of choice in framing selection. For shipment, a sturdy cardboard box is employed. The etching is first wrapped in two layers of acid free glassine and then placed between two archival boards. This is next placed into the shipping box and securely packed with bubble wrap. The price does not include any shipment costs.

Artwork Keywords:   Original Printmaking

Materials:   Etching Prints