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Carol Wax, printmaker

Singer II, 1985

Description

Maker

  • Carol Wax, b. 1953, American, printmaker
  • Jennifer Melby, b. 1946, American, printer

Title

Singer II

Year

1985

Medium

Mezzotint on off-white wove German etching paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • mezzotint

Supports

  • Medium weight off white wove German Etching paper

Dimensions

Plate: 38.1 x 21 cm (15 x 8 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed in graphite, LL: "56/75"; LC: "Singer II"; and LR: "CWax"

Identification

Edition

56/75

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Prints

Credit

Jesse Metcalf Fund

Object Number

1999.34.1

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Visions and Revisions

February 15 - August 4, 2019

This dramatically lit image of an old-fashioned sewing machine has the intensity of a portrait, a popular subject for mezzotints. The print’s lighting and attention to surface also reveal the influence of Dutch still-life and Baroque paintings. “To me, ordinary objects seem extraordinary,” writes Wax, whose evocative depictions of
discarded things fulfill her stated aim to “infuse the inanimate with anima.”

Through her choice of subject matter and her adoption of a traditional, time-consuming technique, the artist critiques the consumerist cycle of our wasteful society, where mass-produced machines are swiftly relegated to obsolescence.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in Copyright. This object is Singer II with the accession number of 1999.34.1. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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