Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Valley of West Canada Creek, lithograph, 1924, stamp signed lower right and inscribed in pencil and initialled by Virginia Merriwether Davies. Czestochowski 210, only state, from the edition of 25, printed by George C. Miller, published by Weyhe Gallery, New York, June 1924.  In generally good condition, the full sheet (slight browning at edges, some tiny nicks), 12 x 19, the sheet 16 x 22 3/4 inches, unmatted.

A very good impression of this large lithograph, printed on a cream wove Rives paper.

This scene is a few miles northeast of Utica, New York.

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Ecstasy (alternate title: Leda), 1916, drypoint, signed in pencil lower right. Reference: Price 165, Czestochowski 30, third state (of 3). Edition size unknown but small. In very good condition, the full sheet, printed on a thin ivory wove paper, 2 3/4 x 4, the sheet 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, archival mounting.

A very fine impression of this rare drypoint, printed in black ink with the drypoint burr extraordinarily rich.

One of the earliest of Davies’ modernistic experiments, created at a time when Davies was generally regarded as the preeminent American artist of his generation. After the Armory Show of 1913, Davies experimented with various modernist and cubist perspectives; Ecstacy is one of the earliest and most successful of these explorations.

Marsden Hartley said of Davies: Often you have the sensation of looking through a Renaissance window upon a Greek world – a world of Platonic verities in calm relation with each other.

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Ecstasy (alternate title: Leda), 1916, drypoint, with the stamp and initials NMD [Niles Davies, a descendant] lower right. Reference: Price 165, Czestochowski 30, first state (of 3, but cf discussion). Edition size unknown but small. In very good condition, printed on a very thin cream wove paper, the sheet printed in the manner of chine colle, on a backing card, full sheet, printed on a thin ivory wove paper, 3 7/8 x 3 inches, the full sheet 8 x 7 1/4 inches.

This impression is about 1/8 inch wider than the later state impressions described by Czestochowski (as well as our later state impression, described in an adjoining web-site entry).

A very fine impression of the first state, with substantial burr, and painted over by Davies in brown, blue, black as a guide to further states.

One of the earliest of Davies’ modernistic experiments, created at a time when Davies was generally regarded as the preeminent American artist of his generation. After the Armory Show of 1913, Davies experimented with various modernist and cubist perspectives; Ecstacy is one of the earliest and most successful of these explorations.

Marsden Hartley said of Davies: Often you have the sensation of looking through a Renaissance window upon a Greek world – a world of Platonic verities in calm relation with each other.

Detail

]]> http://harrisschrank.com/ecstasy-or-leda-first-state-painted-working-proof.htm/feed 0 http://harrisschrank.com/uprising-2.htm http://harrisschrank.com/uprising-2.htm#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:02:09 +0000 Harris Schrank http://harrisschrank.com/?p=3554 Arthur B. Davies, Up-Rising, soft ground etching and aquatint on a cream laid paper, 1919, signed in pencil lower right margin. Reference: Czestochowski 78, second state (of 3). In good condition, with margins.  From a small edition, 6 x 9, the sheet 8 3/8 x 12 1/4 inches. A fine atmospheric impression. The first state of this print was before the aquatint; it was in soft ground etching only (the third state was printed in color by Frank Nankivell in 1924). At this stage of his career Davies was experimenting with modernism in his printmaking; he had developed substantial expertise in sophisticated printmaking [...]]]>

Arthur B. Davies, Up-Rising, soft ground etching and aquatint on a cream laid paper, 1919, signed in pencil lower right margin. Reference: Czestochowski 78, second state (of 3). In good condition, with margins.  From a small edition, 6 x 9, the sheet 8 3/8 x 12 1/4 inches.

A fine atmospheric impression.

The first state of this print was before the aquatint; it was in soft ground etching only (the third state was printed in color by Frank Nankivell in 1924).

At this stage of his career Davies was experimenting with modernism in his printmaking; he had developed substantial expertise in sophisticated printmaking techniques (here effectively using soft ground and aquatint), and was fusing the cubism which interested him in the years after the 1912 Armory Show (he was a primary organizer of the show), with the symbolism that had led him to be regarded as America’s most distinguished artist prior to that. His printmaking continues to be one of the most interesting areas of his work.

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Resurrection (aka Flying Figures; Border of the Lake), drypoint, 1916, signed with the estate stamp lower right. Reference: Czestochowski 35, third state (of 3), with the aquatint.  The total printing was unknown but small. With margins, printed on a blue/green laid paper, in good condition, 3 x 5, the sheet 5 x 8 inches.

A fine  impression, with the complex aquatint layering contrasting effectively.

Aquatint was added in the second state to many areas of the plate except the figure; in the third state aquatint was added to the figure.

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Resurrection (aka Flying Figures; Border of the Lake), drypoint, 1916, signed with the estate stamp lower right. Reference: Czestochowski 35, first state (of 3), before aquatint.  The total printing was unknown but small. With margins, printed on a very thin wove paper, in good condition, 3 x 5, the sheet 6 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches.

A fine proof impression, with substantial burr from the drypoint work, printed with a veil of plate tone overall.

Aquatint was added in the second state to many areas of the plate except the figure; in the third state aquatint was added to the figure.

Czestochowski notes that this print was probably number six in the October 1916 exhibit of the New York Society of Etchers.

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Entreat (aka Nude with Uplifted Arms), mezzotint, 1927, signed in pencil lower right margin. Reference: Czestochowski 217, only state. Edition unspecified, total printing unknown but small. In good condition, printed on a cream wove paper, with margins, 6 x 4, the sheet 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches.

A very good impression of this rarity.

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Torment, soft ground etching with aquatint and roulette, 1919-20, signed with the estate stamp lower right, and signed by the printer Frank A. Nankivell (and inscribed “Printer”) lower left. Reference: Czestochowski 102, fourth state (of 4). In generally good condition apart from light staining toward the top of the image, and light staining at the top margin edge, a crease in the right margin. With margins, 7 13/16 x 11 7/8, the sheet 9 3/8 x 13 5/8 inches.

A fine impression.Printed on thin laid paper with the watermark Vassier.

Czestochowski notes that this print was never published by Davies. Impressions were printed in 1929 by Nankivell, and we presume that this is one of those impressions.

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Mirror of Illusion (aka The Mirror; Maya; Mirror No. 2), drypoint, signed with the estate stamp lower right. Reference: Czestochowski 31, first state (of 2). In generally good condition, with margins (creasing and folds in margins, browning toward edges), 6 3/8 x 8 3/8, the sheet 8 7/8 x 11 1/4 inches.

A fine proof impression of the first state, printed with a heavy plate tone. In the first state the design is made with drypoint only, and the platemaker’s name is clearly visible on the middle right margin.

The platemaker’s inscription reads: John Sellers and Sons. 151 Arundel Street, Sheffield.  In the second state the name/label was obscured, and the design was expanded, including the addition of soft ground and roulette to the figures and the background.

The composition for Mirror of Illusion was first created for a painting of the same name done much earlier and exhibited in 1909. The composition reflects Davies’s interest in parallelism, or the repetition of figures. Czestochowski quotes Davies on this (p. 24): “I love clarity in a painting and this is why I love Parallelism. In many of my paintings I have chosen four or five figures in order to express this feeling because I know that impressionism is enhanced by the repetition of one and the same object.”

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Tartessians, soft ground etching with aquatint, 1919-20, signed in pencil lower right. Reference: Czestochowski 96, second state (of 2), total printing unknown but small. In good condition, slight mat toning, printed on a cream wove paper, with margins, 4 7/8 x 3 1/4, the sheet 10 7/8 x 7 1/2 inches.

A fine impression, with the aquatint tones contrasting effectively.