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19th, 20th & 21st Century Fine Prints
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Pua Olua by John Melville Kelly
Pua Olua
John Melville Kelly
Title
Pua Olua
Artist
John Melville Kelly
1879 - 1962 (biography)Year
c. 1935
Technique
color aquatint
Image Size
16 7/8 x 12 7/8" platemark
Signature
pencil, lower right
Edition Size
unique color proof from an unstated edition
Annotations
pencil titled; artist's studio blindstamp, lower right
Reference
Paper
cream wove
State
proof
Publisher
artist
Inventory ID
CKCS101
Price
SOLD
Description
John Kelly's mastery of the complex color aquatint technique, enhanced with minimal, delicately rendered etching line, is evidenced in this glowing portrait of a Hawaiian woman, a spray of gardenias superimposed around her. Kelly's experimentation with manipulating the inks on the plate allowed for the gradation of light and tone in the color of each print. Because of this, no two color aquatints are exactly alike.
"Pua Olua" roughly translates to "two flowers" comparing the beauty of the unidentified model and the gardenias. This image is not included in the book on Kelly's work "Hawaiian Idyll" and we have not found another impression on line or at auction. From the artist's estate.