Sea Squirts 1972 |
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Original etching and aquatint. Signed, inscribed and dated in pencil. S 792 x 585 mm; P & I 506 x 404 mm £1,500 |
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Signed artist’s proof impression. No published edition of this work was ever issued. Very rare.
As Berenice Sydney’s style developed, she abandoned figurative representation for total abstraction, in which geometric or freely composed forms create expressive or rhythmic compositions. Sea Squirts, created early in 1972, represents the zenith of this development through Berenice Sydney’s discovery of a new and uniquely expressive graphic style. In this image, the artist has succeeded in creating a deep underwater effect, suggesting the refraction of light from murky untold depths, impenetrable to the viewer’s gaze. Bursting with creative energy and animation, this large intaglio work shows the artist’s progression into innovative and experimental printmaking techniques. A complex hybrid of various forms of aquatint ground, overlaid in layers, and confined in specific areas by etched line – this work is evocative, dynamic and symphonic in its visual effect.
On warm white wove paper with full margins and deckle edge. Inscribed and titled by the artist on the reverse of the sheet at upper edge. Signed, dated and inscribed “AP” recto. Very fine original condition. Image surface excellent. |
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