Colonne (Column)

Pierre Courtin

Done at mid career, "Colonne" is one from a series of experimental prints Pierrre Courtin did for which he only printed a few proofs, in this case a total of 5. He uses the application of green-gray and light orange to achieve this mystical, surreal composition done in almost three dimensions, printed on a soft, malleable, antique-white hand made paper. This dimensionality became his trademark after 1950 when he began to experiment with sculptural printmaking.

This impression is one of only 2 state proofs. The paper is thick and put together in layers to form a sheet. On the verso, two of the layers are not fully adhered and one sector is printed with a partial proof. There is a partial circular purple stamp on the lower margin of the verso with various graphite gallery notations. Additionally, he's added sparse areas of detailing using thin, blue inked lines to the image.