Leonard Basking
Prints
Very
early in his career, Baskin came to the conclusion that sculpture was
the medium best suited to expressing fundamental human states such as
grief, love, hope, and dignity. Its very monumentality makes it an art
of witness, not ideology. For expression of a more direct political nature,
in the late 40’s Baskin turned to printmaking, the perfect medium
for a young man with Communist sympathies. Prints were cheap, easily distributed,
and their message could be plain. Text might even be cut directly into
the block as was done with many of Baskin’s earliest works.
With its intricate network of sinewy anatomical lines, delicate and twisted, Baskin found in wood engraving a way to depict both the inner maelstrom and the outer physicality of the human form at once. As his command of the medium grew, Baskin allowed his line to speak for itself, but he has never abandoned his political commitment. “Art,” he has said, “is content, or it is nothing.” The artist must be committed to making a statement. “Photorealism is the same thing as minimal abstraction. Both are unwilling to say anything about the nature of reality, about their own involvement with reality...” Baskin is nothing if not willing to offer his own opinions.
Baskin almost single-handedly revived the Monumental sized woodcut as an art form, but he was also comfortable working on a miniature scale. He mastered the techniques of lithography, engraving, color block prints and monotypes. The range of his print work over a fifty-year career is truly astounding.
Below are links which lead to
a small selection of Baskin's print.
For questions or more images please contact
the gallery.
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