Grotesque Halloween Printmaking By Jerry Di Falco

Year:

Medium:

Intaglio Print

Size - (USA):

8 W x 10 H x 0.5 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

20.3 W x 25.4 H x 1.3 D (centimeters)

Theme:

Architecture

Edition:

Original

Artwork ID:

630812

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

The intimate size of this DiFalco print projects a rather imposing mood. The etching, inspired by a photo that the artist shot in 1987, was based on two of his own pencil drawings executed in 2019. This specific print is from the LAST Edition of Four, and each edition is limited to five etchings. The zinc plate size was four inches high by three inches wide, and the print size is about ten by eight inches. The work includes an archival mat in a frame that measures ten by eight inches. Media includes RivesBFK white paper, methyl cellulose, kozo threads, Thai mulberry bark paper, and Charbonnel brand etching ink, mixed with plate oil. The artist hand printed the work on a Charles Brand press, which was manufactured in New York City, at The Center for Works on Paper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is a part of Fleisher Art Memorial’s OPEN STUDIO IN PRINTMAKING. This is a free structured printing course for professional artists, and DiFalco mentors them and also acts as a studio monitor. Fleisher is associated with The Philadelphia Museum of Art. The zinc plate was etched in four baths of Nitric acid, and DiFalco employed the studio techniques of intaglio, aquatint, Chine colle, and drypoint. The work illustrates a grotesque, which is a Gothic architectural element, from St. Mary Magdalene Church in Domont, France. This stone carved sculpture is from the church interior, located in the nave, north triforium corbel. The face is reminiscent of the adage, “See No Evil”, and was carved in the 12th Century. The building’s style, which is primitive Gothic, is rare in this section of France. After its completion, the church had modest revisions, but its decay from the middle of the eighteenth century caused its closure as a place of worship in 1785, when it was almost demolished. Only the lack of funding in Frances post revolutionary period prevented this, and restoration occurred between 1844 and 1857. Size given is for framed work.

Artwork Keywords:   Domont, France, Gothic, Sculpture, Architectural Element, Distorted Face, Original Printmaking

Materials:   Intaglio Prints