The Belch

Raymond Gloeckler

Raymond Gloeckler is a Wisconsin printmaker whose work in large-scale woodcuts and satirical imagery, and his renown as a professor, makes him one of the state’s leading printmakers and advocates of the fine art medium. Printmaking was introduced later in the artist’s fine arts education under the tutelage of Al Sessler, the founder of the printmaking department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, whose own imagery was often politically charged and employed Abstract Expressionism to pinpoint the emotion of difficult subjects. Gloeckler’s work didn’t necessarily tackle difficulty head-on, however, rather infusing humor to reach the viewer’s empathy - as well as his personal desire to make the ugly something worth viewing.

In the image titled “Belch,” we see these elements of Gloeckler’s style as well as his expertise with the block and carving chisel. Within a perfect circle employs active lines that gather, spread out, and travel around the cheeks, chin, and forehead, presenting the visage of a satisfied man preparing to expel a belch, his face at once puffed and pinched in the mechanisms of a most human action.