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Night Sky Woodcut
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? Vija Celmins

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Night Sky Woodcut 1997
  • Artist Rooms
Celmins's intense monochromatic images of the night sky, based on photographs, focus on small and individual marks in the context of vastness. The images seem fragile because they record a specific human glimpse through a telescope or camera which is ephemeral and frozen in time. Celmins's serial exploration of her subjects, including the night sky, allows the artist to exploit the distinct characteristics of the variety of media she uses. Celmins used nails and needles to make points of light throughout this woodcut print. The woodcut was printed on Japanese paper to give depth to the work.

Glossary Open

Medium/ media

The material from which an artwork is made, e.g. oil paint, bronze, paper. 'Medium' is also used for the liquid element of paint in which a colouring agent is carried. 'Mixed media' is used when an artist combines several different materials in an artwork.

Monochrome

An image made with a single colour.

Print

An image pressed or stamped onto paper or fabric. This encompasses a wide variety of techniques, usually produced in multiples, although one-off prints, known as monoprints, are also included. The term is also applied to photographic images.

Woodcut

A print made from an image carved into a block of wood cut along the grain. Blank areas are cut away leaving an image in relief from which a print is made.

Medium/ media, Monochrome, Print, Woodcut

Details

  • Acc. No. AR00480
  • Medium Woodcut printed on paper mounted on paper
  • Size 22.00 x 24.50 cm (paper 22.50 x 24.90 cm and 44.70 x 31.70 cm) (framed: 48.20 x 35.60 x 3.70 cm)
  • Credit ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008

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