Piran II

Clare Camille Romano

The medieval Slovenian city of Piran crowds the southwest coastline of the Gulf of Piran in this collagraph by pioneering printmaker Clare Camille Romano. An irregularly shaped matrix lends itself to the angular, Modernist portrayal of the city, whose central highest peak is topped by St. George’s Cathedral.

American artist Romano was granted a residency to study in Yugoslavia in the mid 1960s by the U.S. Information Agency. While there, she focused on collagraphy, the natural progression of a printmaker whose attention had turned from intaglio to collage with a deepening appreciation for textured-surface prints. This is an example of her earliest work in the medium, in which she employs modeling paste to a variety of materials to achieve the textures she is looking for. Despite this being a new medium, her established expertise from years of working in various print techniques shines through in this balanced, intriguing cityscape.