Blaze of Glory

Edmond Casarella

Edmond Casarella was an early practitioner of the Paper Relief print, like this. Using chipboard and illustration board he built up the surface of a plate, which was printed by hand. A description of this technique can be found on page 154 of "The Stamp of Impulse - Abstract Expressionist Prints" by David Acton, Worcester Museum, 2001.

"Blaze of Glory" is less linear than many of the artist's gestural prints, in this dense composition he used layered, organic shapes, evoking a three-dimensional wall, a bas-relief shaped by the elements.

A printmaker, painter, and sculptor, Edmond Casarella was born in Newark, New Jersey on September 3, 1920. After studying at Cooper Union in New York, Casarella was hired by Antony Velonis to print serigraphs at Creative Printmakers under the National Youth Administration. His stint in the military was followed with studies at the School of the Brooklyn Museum under the GI Bill between 1949 and 1951.

With his printmaking background, it was natural for him to be drawn to the printmaking courses taught by Gabor Peterdi, Louis Schanker and Vincent Longo. Casarella made his first paper relief print about 1949 and he continued to experiment with this medium throughout his printmaking career.