“Poor Little Girls”

by Brian Hoover

I always refer to myself as a painter who prints. I was introduced to Lithography back in 1985 while attending the Cleveland Institute of Art and I went on to receive an MFA in Printmaking from the State University of New York. Choosing printmaking was one of the few practical decisions I made in my youth. I loved the process, but I hoped that being both a painter and printmaker would make me more viable in landing a teaching job. It did. I’ve been teaching both at Southern Utah University for eleven years.

One of the most motivating aspects of attending the Cleveland Institute of Art was that right across the street from the school was an incredible art museum. One could literally take a short break from making art, and in 5 minutes you could be looking at a Rembrandt or Bouguereau — very inspirational. It’s an underrated collection, perhaps because nobody wants to go to Cleveland…the smell of industry and the sound of distant gunfire are still strong memories.

Southern Utah is the polar opposite to Cleveland. It has incredible beauty, but no permanent, superlative art collections. My students and I have to travel long distances to charge our creative batteries. That’s why I’ve been delighted to have the Goya exhibition on campus at the Braithwaite Gallery –and only fifty yards from the printmaking studio. I’m teaching Intaglio this semester, and it’s such a thrill to be able to take a break from printing and within seconds be looking at an incredible suite of intaglios.

“Sleep Will Overcome Them”

Los Caprichos is an exhibition of the set of eighty etchings by Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, published in 1799, which has become one of the most influential series of graphic images in Western art. This series of etchings was begun shortly after the artist contracted a disease that resulted in complete deafness for the rest of his life. They were not commissioned pieces so the artist worked on them in complete freedom.

I’ve been to the exhibition several times already. I have seen a good many of the images reproduced in books before, so I was prepared for the bizarre imagery and severe social criticism. The themes range from silly to ghastly, but what stuck me first was how wonderful they are on a formal level. Over eighty prints – mostly multi-figural- and they all are composed in a complexity and richness that equals their narrative. Lyrical and graceful line work is woven beautifully with subtle to velvety black aquatints. There does not seem to be a formula in his approach to design. Lights and darks are masterfully balanced on the picture plane. Some are heavy with line and others are made up of entirely soft planes of aquatint. I’m tickled the show will be up till November as I plan to put my brushes down and pick up an etching needle.

15 Bytes

UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.