1998
Catalogue raisonne
1st Edition (Standard Edition)
2,000 copies printed
480 pages
30.0 x 24.3 cm page size
Foreword: Jane Lindsay
Publishers: Odana Editions and Josef Lebovic Gallery
Australian artist Norman Alfred Williams Lindsay (1879-1969) created some of the finest intaglio prints of the 20th century. The Complete Etchings of Norman Lindsay offers, for the first time, a panoramic view of the artist's work in this field. Now, with the publication of this volume, a serious lacuna in the Lindsay bibliography has been filled.
Over a period of eighty years Lindsay produced a prodigious amount of work - pencil drawings, pen and ink drawings, watercolours and oil paintings - and the etcher's needle was to become as natural an extension of the artist's hand as his pencil, pen and paint brush. With equal constancy and application he developed into true magnificence his techniques of etching, drypoint and aquatint.
Lin Bloomfield began her research for The Complete Etchings of Norman Lindsay in 1992 at the Mitchell Library in Sydney which then extended to numerous public libraries, galleries and private collections, resulting in the most thorough study of Lindsay's original etchings ever undertaken. The fully illustrated catalogues raisonné of his 175 unpublished and 200 published etchings trace his development from the first tentative beginning in 1897 to the maturity of his etched line in the 1920s and 1930s.
The illuminating text with over one hundred and sixty illustrations complements the catalogues raisonné, weaving into the book insights into Lindsay's technique, the books he illustrated with original etchings and the etched bookplates. Among the highlights of the volume are chapters on the published and unpublished etchings. These chapters contribute to a deeper understanding of Lindsay's philosophy and outline the source of inspiration for many of the etchings.
More than simply another art reference book, this handsome volume documents vividly the intricate artistic, financial and business practices that shaped the complex working relationship between the artist and his printmaker partner Rose, and their galleries, dealers and publishers. It traces the history of the galleries from 1918 to the present, quoting comprehensively from contemporary reviews. Sales and marketing are discussed, together with a table of comparative prices. A chapter on the facsimile etchings is also included.
The importance of this book for all lovers of Lindsay's art, for all connoisseurs, collectors, art historians, dealers, graphic artists and students will be immediately apparent. It is a major addition to the Lindsay literature and to the literature of printmaking in the 20th century.
The Complete Etchings of Norman Lindsay was the winner of the Australian Sixteenth National Print Gold Award for two and three colour printing, judged to be 'consistent in colour, register and imposition. A worthy winner in a high standard category'.
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