“When we started the “8 Etchings” my first question was how we were going to make areas of flat colours work, because my paintings have so much flatness in them… Being limited to only using line was a really interesting challenge.”
—Jonas Wood Jonas Wood’s 8 Etchings presents a series of etchings on paper that reimagine his painted canvases in graphic black and white line. In collaboration with print-maker Jacob Samuel, who initiated the idea of 8 Etchings, Wood voiced his concerns relating to the task of rendering the “flat lines of colour and tonal shapes” that comprise his paintings in a compelling way in etching. Wood found the task of only using line liberating, albeit daunting; the task of creating colour and texture from black and white line focused Wood’s artistic vision in a way that he hadn’t experienced before. Nonetheless, the artist harnessed the power of line and monochromatism to create immensely intricate works infused with personal emotion. The images are not simply iterations of previous paintings, but stand their ground as individualised, rejuvenated works wholly their own.
Picasso, La vie en rose, plate 80 from Série 347, 1986, lot 33, Pablo Picasso: Paper and Clay, 6 June 2024 Years before 8 Etchings was conceived, Wood inherited a mysterious box from his grandfather, who was an avid collector of art. Labelled “Picasso” – the only indication of what its contents could entail – Wood discovered a variety of prints from Picasso’s 347 Series, an erotic magnum opus created in the late years of Picasso’s life. Inspired by Picasso’s detailed line work and fervent print-making process – such as inventing new techniques, working only in a single colour, resurfacing plates repeatedly with obsessive duress – Wood drew comparisons between his own artistic process and that of Picasso. “It’s interesting to think about the visual and spatial ability [Picasso] needed to figure out how those things were going to work... it’s like going from the back to the front of the image.” Finding a surprising affinity between Picasso’s artistic process and his own creative vision, Wood employed cross-hatching, geometric patterns and vigorously etched lines, demonstrating not only his technical virtuosity but also his ability to rework previous themes in a fresh, poignant iteration – pushing the boundaries of his own artistic practise to unexplored depths.
Literature
Gagosian Gallery, Jonas Wood: Prints, New York, 2018, pp. 66-68
157
8 Etchings
2014
The complete set of eight etchings, with Chine-collé to Japan paper, with full margins, with accompanying exhibition print.
all I. 22.5 x 20 cm (8 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
all S. 40.5 x 35.5 cm (15 7/8 x 13 7/8 in.)
All signed with initials, dated and numbered 9/10 in pencil (there were also 3 artist's proofs), published by Edition Jacob Samuel, Santa Monica, California (with their blindstamp), all unframed.
Estimate
£20,000 - 30,000
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Evening & Day Editions
London Auction 6 - 7 June 2024
