Leaders of New Mexico Printmaking

The twentieth century was marked by exciting and imaginative new approaches toward printmaking as a major form of fine art, which established itself as a focal point for artists across the country. Most importantly, these artists saw an equal potential for creativity in the nuances of their original prints on paper as had long been implicit in oil painting and other media. The Southwest, and New Mexico in particular, became a major center for printmakers: here, artists such as Gustave Baumann, Gene Kloss, Charles M. Capps, and Norma Bassett Hall were each considered master printmakers and leaders, respectively, in woodcut, etching, aquatint, and serigraphy. All four artists drew on the landscape and architecture of the area, while simultaneously exploring the expressive possibilities inherent in each of their techniques. As printmaking generally gained new life in the United States, these artists led its development in New Mexico and the Southwest.

In divergent visual languages, each artist evoked distinct feelings of grandeur, beauty, and intimacy found in the Southwest. Working in black and white, Gene Kloss implemented a delicate and agile quality of line in her hushed, atmospheric landscapes, domestic scenes, and Pueblo ceremonies. Also in black and white, Charles M. Capps’ works accentuated the rich play of light and shadow across the adobe architecture of New Mexico, drawing on the aquatint medium’s singular potential for chiaroscuro. In color, Gustave Baumann’s extraordinary woodcuts included an astonishing convergence of intricate detail and the inked texture of wood-grain. Working in both woodcut and serigraphy, Norma Bassett Hall used planes of pure color to model the clear atmosphere of the New Mexico sky in her vivid and reductive images.

These four artists were among a new vanguard who chose to center printmaking as their primary form of fine art making, approaching their media with a seriousness and boldness that was ahead of many of their contemporaries on the East Coast. It was due to the efforts of these artists that New Mexico produced some of the most important and interesting prints of the time. Fundamental to these artists, however, was their overall love for New Mexico. In their art, they sought to capture a sense of place—and identity—during a time of great change.

[rajnishsasmal]

All the collections are just awesome...learned about lot of artists / print makers whom I never heard before. Thanks a lot LewAllen Gallery .