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Ellen Lanyon: A Wonder
Production
May 31 - August 10, 2008
Ellen Lanyon writes
that, "[T]his exhibition has been designed to reveal the process that
takes the imagination and transforms it into a graphic state of 
being." The 73 pieces included in the exhibit truly
display the imaginative and technical processes that Lanyon has used throughout
her career as one of the preeminent contemporary American artists. Curated
by Esther Sparks, the exhibition adeptly takes the visitor on a journey
through the evolution of an artist. (right: Ellen Lanyon, GREAT
GREY OWL, 1984, Lithographic crayon and acrylic. Collection of the Artist)
Lanyon's work chiefly examines the links between art and
nature. She explores the physical, magical, scientific and psychological
concepts of transformation and metamorphoses, while commenting on the effects
of humans on the environment. Though her art tackles weighty issues, Lanyon
infuses her work with fantastical elements that creates an approachable
style.
A special opening reception was held on June 15, 2008 with
the artist providing a gallery talk. This was a wonderful opportunity to
meet and hear this important artist speak about her work.
The exhibition is organized by the Brauer Museum of Art,
Valpraiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana. Funding for this exhibition has
been provided by the Valparaiso University Cultural Arts Committee, The
Brauer Museum of Art's Robert and Caroline Collings Endowment and the Partners
for the Brauer Museum of Art.
Artist's Statement
If drawing is the result of an impulse to record an idea
that then causes the artist to take up a mark-making tool to set down a
singular image, then the creation of a print is a means by which to multiply
that image. This exhibition has been designed to reveal the process that
takes the imagination and transforms it into a graphic state of being.
Five years ago, Gregg Hertzlieb, Director
and Curator of the Brauer Museum of Art, invited me to consider a survey
exhibition of works on paper. Since I had been working on a complete inventory
of all of the prints that I had made since the mid-forties and was also
busy sorting out drawings that dated back in time, I agreed to assemble
an exhibition. As the artist, I recognized the importance of having a curator
who would have a fresh eye, and I knew that there could be none better than
Esther Sparks. And so, this exhibition with her expertise has truly evolved
as a wonder production.
Therefore, I am first and foremost grateful to Esther Sparks
for her comprehension of my desire to create images that intend to stir
the imagination, and then to present these in a series of diverse concepts
and techniques so as to inform the viewer and, therefore, share the experience.
(left: Ellen Lanyon, Fox, Colored pencil, with collage of
borders from a book of wallpaper samples published by Alfred Peats Wallpaper
Company in 1915, mounted on Canson Mi-Teintes paper. Collection of the Artist)
I especially wish to thank Gregg Hertzlieb, Director and
Curator, and Gloria Ruff, Assistant Curator and Registrar, for their amazing
patience and ability to cope with the many facets of organization during
the creation of this exhibition and the exhibition brochure.
A heartfelt thanks as well goes to Mark Pascale, Associate
Curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago;
to Sid Block and Bob Hiebert of Printworks Gallery; and to Valerie Carberry
of the Valerie Carberry Gallery, all of whom have contributed much to this
exhibition and to my well being as an artist.
Additionally, I wish to thank all those who have contributed
in one way or another to making this exhibition possible: the Valparaiso
University Cultural Arts Committee, Partners for the Brauer Museum of Art,
Josephine Ferguson, Konrady Plastics, Datagraphic Printing, M&G Graphics,
Michael LaVoie, The Icon Group, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts,
and the Brauer Museum of Art's summer student interns, Peggy Dolembo, Brian
Morfitt, and Jill Meyer.
Object label text for the exhibition
- 1. KINGFISHER, 1984
- Lithographic crayon and acrylic
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 2. MERGANSER AND LOON, 1984
- Lithographic crayon and acrylic
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 3. GREAT GREY OWL, 1984
- Lithographic crayon and acrylic
- Collection of the Artist
-
- THE ELEMENTS, 1991
- Lithographs, published by The Pondside Press, Rhinebeck,
- New York. Edition of 7 in black and white on Rives BFK paper.
- Additions of watercolor
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 4. AIR
- 5. WATER
- 6. EARTH
- 7. FIRE
-
- The imagery in Air is the most literal: gulls, an airplane, the boys
flying kites. The bighorn sheep and horses of Earth are animals that live
and feed from it. Sea creatures and fishermen fill Water. But the soldiers
in Fire are puzzling. Lanyon describes them as rangers of Teddy Roosevelt's
time, the first guardians of wildlife in the national forests. In Fire,
the alligator is our modern version of the fire-breathing dragon.
-
- 8. EAGLE BEAK, 1985
- Lithograph, published by Landfall Press
- Edition of 25, artist's proof
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 9. BLACK EGRET, 1985
- Lithograph, published by Landfall Press
- Edition of 25, artist's proof
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 10. PARROTCIDE PERCH, 1987
- Offset lithograph, printed on feather paper handmade by
- Joe Wilfer, edition of 14, additions of acrylic
- Gift of the Artist
- Collection of the Brauer Museum of Art, 2002.22.001
-
- 11. ENCORE EVENT (VANISH EXTRAORDINARY), 1987
- Offset lithograph, printed on feather paper handmade by
- Joe Wilfer, edition of 50, additions of graphite and acrylic
- Gift of the Artist
- Collection of the Brauer Museum of Art, 2002.22.002
-
- BEYOND THE BORDERS: COLLAGES, 1996-2007
- Colored pencil, with collage of borders from a book of wallpaper samples
published by Alfred Peats Wallpaper Company in 1915, mounted on Canson
Mi-Teintes paper
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 12. Bear
- 13. Loons
- 14. Ostrich
- 15. Fighting Cocks
- 16. Lagoon
- 17. Fox
- 18. Bobcat
-
- Ellen Lanyon, who describes herself as a collector of many things,
bought a large vintage book of wallpaper samples, Alfred Peats Prize Wallpaper
No. 1 1915. The pages ranged from delicate Victorian florals to bold
geometrics predicting the Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s. The most
intriguing and unusual features of the book were the borders, one for each
pattern, that were designed to replace the wood mouldings that were going
out of fashion.
-
- Lanyon found the borders irresistible and began to collage them onto
various colored Canson Mi-Teintes papers, then added the colored pencil
bestiary. The works are modest in size but rich with drawings of the bird
and animal life that so fascinated her. When a dozen or so drawings were
completed, she decided to continue the series in painting and to work on
a grander scale. The final chapter of the Borders story was a lithograph,
which is shown in its four stages of evolution.
-
- BEYOND THE BORDERS: PAINTINGS, 1996-2007
- Acrylic on canvas
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 19. Hare
- 20. Lobsters
- 21. Bullfrogs
- 22. Zebras
- 23. Elk
- 24. Macaws
- 25. Monkeys
-
- BEYOND THE BORDERS: COLLAGES, 1996-2007
- Colored pencil and photocollage from a book of wallpaper samples published
by Alfred Peats Wallpaper Company in 1915, mounted on Canson Mi-Teintes
paper
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 26. Moose
- 27. Spider Monkey
- 28. Pelican
- 29. Lobster
- 30. Flamingos
- 31. Red-winged Blackbirds
-
- 32. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, November 1996 July 1997
- 5-color lithograph, printed by David Jones at
- Anchor Graphics, Chicago, edition of 30
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 33. Using a trial proof, the artist cut out the sky behind the birds
- and mounted them on a background of grey Canson paper.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 34. Using a trial proof, Lanyon again cut out the background and
- mounted the rest on green Canson paper. She added a red
- line at the top of the border, and then drew vertical lines to
- echo those in the border below. This was the model used for
- the final edition.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 35. Final version of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, with edition
- numbers, completed in 2006. A ghost of the original
- linework is visible at the top. Finished with colored pencil
- above and below the border.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 36. AVOCET INKWELL, 1976
- Prismacolor pencil on Canson Mi-Teintes paper
- Gift of Tri Kappa Sorority, Iota Chapter, to the
- Brauer Museum of Art, 88.06
-
- 37. ANTEATER, 1948
- Lanyon's first engraving, done in Mauricio Lasansky's class
- at the University of Iowa. Only a few proofs were printed.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- Lasansky, who had made Iowa a Mecca for aspiring printmakers, was a
legendary disciplinarian. He sent his beginning students to the campus
Museum of Natural History to draw animals and birds. Then, he insisted
that they master the elements of engraving before they ventured into etching.
-
- 38. DUET, 1950
- Intaglio plate, made and printed at the University of Iowa
- Only a few proofs were printed.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 39. DUET, 1951
- Intaglio plate, started at the University of Iowa
- Revised, with three additional plates and hand-applied gold
- leaf on Hammermill Bond paper at Chicago Graphic
- Workshop
- Collection of the Artist
-
- In the early 1950s, Lanyon was experimenting with egg tempera and gold
leaf in both painting and printmaking. She used both gold and silver leaf
on various impressions of Duet, therefore making each impression unique.
-
- 40. PARROT AND PLANT, 1950-53
- Intaglio plate, made and printed at the University of Iowa
- Only a few proofs were printed.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 41. ST. MARTIN'S, 1951-53
- Intaglio plate, made at the London County Council School
- Printshop and printed at the Chicago Graphic Workshop
- Edition of 6
- Collection of the Artist
-
- In 1951, Lanyon went to London under a Fulbright Fellowship to study
egg tempera and restoration at the Courtauld Institute. In the evenings,
she worked in the print shop of the London County Council. Following tradition,
the print shop provided a professional printer who printed proofs for her.
Lanyon, however, chose to print a small edition when she returned to Chicago.
-
- 42. ARTHUR (Arthur Levine), 1955
- Woodcut, unique trial proof spoon-printed at Chicago
- Graphic Workshop. The founding partners of the Chicago
- Graphic Workshop were Ellen Lanyon, Roland Ginzel,
- Arthur Levine, Aaron Roseman, and Janet Ruttenberg.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 43. ARTHUR (Arthur Levine), 1955
- Woodcut, unique trial proof on mulberry paper with addition
- of watercolor
- Collection of the Artist
-
- These two trial proofs of Arthur are good examples of work done by
the Graphic Workshop in the mid 1950s: very painterly and experimental,
and casual about numbering and other technicalities that later became standard
practice in the print renaissance of the sixties.
-
- 44. EXCAVATION, 1956
- Metal plate offset lithograph, printed by Dick Lewis Studios
- From a portfolio sponsored by the Artists Equity of Chicago
- Collection of the Artist
-
- The Artists Equity Portfolio included work by Misch Kohn, Max Kahn,
and other prominent Chicago artists.
-
- 45. OSTRICART, 1968
- Lithograph, printed by Dennis McWilliams, a master printer
- from the University of Wisconsin
- Edition of 100
- Commissioned by the Ravinia Music Festival
- Collection of the Artist
-
- For several years, the Ravinia Festival commissioned an artist to create
an edition of 100 prints, which were sold to benefit the music festival
in Highland Park. This is an impression of the second state, an edition
of 12 on Arches paper, which Lanyon then individually hand-colored.
-
- 46. CHINESE WONDER BOWL #2, 1970
- Lithograph, printed by Jack Lemon at Landfall Press,
- Chicago
- Edition of 25
- Additions of watercolor and graphite text by the artist
- Collection of the Artist
-
- A critical print, Lanyon said, " It was the beginning of the magic,
the stage magic that became The Wonder Production Book all those different
things are based on stage magic, stage props, stage whatever." The
unlikely source for the "stage whatever" was a retired magician
across the street who still made magic boxes for working magicians. The
text at the left describes the Chinese Wonder Bowl production. Lanyon's
version takes considerable liberties!
-
- 47. SILK CABBY #1, 1971
- Etching from two plates, printed by Tom Blackman at
- Lakeside Press, Lakeside, Michigan
- Edition of 40
- Additions of watercolor
- Collection of the Artist
-
- Silk Cabby focuses on a magic trick in which the magician feeds a cloth
into his box, and when he pulls it out it is transformed into ribbons,
flowers, and banners like those depicted here or other surprises occur,
limited only by the magician's imagination. As she often does, Lanyon grounds
this experience in the tangible. She often includes collectibles from her
own cabinets and shelves. Here, the picture on the front of the magic box
is of a house then standing on Sheridan Road in Chicago.
-
- 48. THIMBLE BOX, 1973
- Lithograph, printed by Jack Lemon at Landfall Press, Chicago
- Co-published by Landfall Press and Richard Gray Gallery,
- Chicago
- Edition of 50 on Arches paper
- Collection of the Artist
-
- 49. COCKATOO CLOCK, 1975
- Lithograph, printed in two colors by Ray Martin in the
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago's print shop
- Commissioned as a benefit print for the scholarship fund
- of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Edition of 100 or more on Rives BFK paper
- This impression is Artist's Proof III, with additions of
- Prismacolor.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- Lanyon's curio cabinets are full of appealing and non-precious things,
which often inspire whimsical combinations. This lithograph began with
a "crazy plastic clock," a gift from a friend, and grew to its
luxurious finale in the form of an astonished bird wondering, Lanyon said,
"Who the heck does she think she is?"
-
- 50. EVERGLADES, 1976
- Lithograph, drawn on stone and proofed at Landfall Press
- Edition of 50 printed by Stone Roller Press in Chicago
- Additions of Prismacolor
- Some of the edition was printed on Rives BFK paper; this
- impression was printed on MBM Perrigot.
- Collection of the Artist
-
- To celebrate America's Bicentennial in 1976, the Department of the
Interior commissioned several artists to create paintings for a two-year
traveling exhibition. Lanyon went to the Everglades, her first exposure
to its terrain and wildlife. She made drawings, took photographs and, because
even those steps seemed inadequate, gathered documentation from the work
of professional naturalists. Visits to the natural history museum revealed
to the artist exotic specimens, such as the stork and anhinga represented
here. Magazines such as National Geographic and National and International
Wildlife were invaluable resources for both this lithograph and Hermit
Crab. The heart-shaped box is one of many ceramics Lanyon has made throughout
her career.
-
-
- 51. HERMIT CRAB, 1976
- Lithograph, drawn on stone and proofed at Landfall Press
- Edition of 50 printed on Arches paper by Stone Roller Press,
- Chicago
- Additions of Prismacolor
- Collection of the Artist
-
- This curious crab is born, then seeks a substantial shell as protection,
adapting its own shell even after it has matured. Here, Lanyon invites
us to compare the crab's shelter with those we devise. Images of 1920s
bungalows known as ready cuts, ordered from a Sears and Roebuck catalogue,
often appeared in her work of the 1970s.
- 52. THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED (Nymphea alba), 1981
-
- Six-color lithograph, printed in the studios of the University
- of South Dakota in Vermillion
- Edition of 40 on Arches paper
- Collection of the Artist
-
- In 1981, Lanyon went to Vermillion to work with the printmaking students,
where this lithograph was created. The water lilies, an unlikely crop in
South Dakota, are paired with a cloisonné vase from Lanyon's collection.
-
- 53. THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED (Bognonia capreolata), 1981
- Lithograph, printed by Fred Gude at Four Brothers Press,
- Chicago
- Edition of 25 on Rives BFK paper
- Additions of watercolor
- Collection of the Artist
-
- At Oxbow, the summer school of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,
the arbor is covered with trumpet vine (Bognonia capreolata). Lanyon has
been teaching at Oxbow since 1960 and was Academic Director from 1972 to
1982. The triangular rolled paper refers to the art and music at Oxbow
and shows the Inn and old footbridge, both cherished and preserved today.
Daylilies surround the Inn, and trumpet vines cover the arbor, one of Lanyon's
favorite places.
-
- 54. THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED (Hemerocallis flavia), 1981