Alan Stein, Canada
In Venice
Hand-drawn lithographs, printed on Japanese Gampi Torinoko handmade paper directly from the stone, with a hand-coloured lithograph frontispiece; half title page, wood engraving, in Venetian Red; Cloister Old Style and Bodoni type printed on St. Armand handmade Palliser text paper; full dimension lino cut endpapers, hand printed on Japanese handmade Kurotani paper in Venetian Red; individually painted cover papers in charcoal and Japanese inks on handmade Japanese Seikosan paper; case bound in leather with gold stamped spine and red linen slipcase by Don Taylor; edition of 15.
Lithographies dessinées à la main, impression sur du papier japonais fait-main Gampi Torinoko directement à partir de la pierre, avec un frontispice de lithographie colorié à la main; demi-page de titre, gravure sur bois, en rouge vénitien; types Cloister Old Style et Bodoni imprimés sur du papier à écriture fait-main Palliser de St. Armand; gardes avec gravures sur linoléum pleine page, impression à la main sur du papier japonais fait-main Kurotani en rouge vénitien; papiers à couverture peints individuellement avec du charbon et des encres japonaises sur du papier japonais fait-main; boîte reliée en cuir avec dos estampé à l’or et étui en lin rouge de Don Taylor; édition de 15 exemplaires.
48 x 32 x 1.5 cm
2007
Fine Printing / Typographie
Artist's Statement:
In Venice text compiled from historic documents by Alan Stein: This book is an account of approximately one year in Whistler’s life. It follows the libel case of “Whistler vs Ruskin” the transcript of the trial, his subsequent bankruptcy, the commission from the Fine Arts Society for a series of 25 plates of Venice, letters, and various accounts of his time there during the winter of 1879-80. Followed by accounts of the exhibitions at Grosvenor gallery when he returned. The lithographs in the book are based on my on-site sketches made in the same locations as some of Whistler’s on-site pastels, and copper plate engravings. My intent here was to capture my own interpretation of Venice, by following at first in Whistler’s footsteps and then discovering my own locations. This book and the lithographs are part of a much larger series of prints, large pastels, and charcoals to be exhibited in summer 2007 at the Station Gallery, Parry Sound, and then in fall 2007 at my one-person show, Venice – Georgian Bay, at the Roberts Gallery, Toronto. In this exhibit I explore the relationship between the islands of Venice, the canals, and the palaces, and the islands of Georgian Bay, the windswept trees, skies, and waters. The common qualities found in places; the incredible quality of the light, the vibrant colours, reflections in water and amazing skies. I also continue my exploration of nocturnes as a way of creating a magical quality which captures the spirit of each place.