Chapeau

Toru Sugita

Toru Sugita uses three intaglio techniques to create this dramatic work, etching, aquatint and drypoint. The large image (the platemark measures 36" in height) is from a series of intaglios that explored the interaction of light and shadow, black and white. Sugita often uses photographic references as a basis for his compositions.

"Chapeau" (Hat) depicts the Cathedral Building, a triangular Gothic Revival style skyscraper (similar to New York's 'Flatiron Building') in downtown Oakland, California, at Telegraph and Broadway - viewed from across the street. The building is also called the "Wedding Cake" for its elaborate facade.

Sugita carefully defines the facade using cast shadows and light but in the center of the composition, is a large, amorphous shadow, cast by a bypasser's hat that appears in front of the viewer. The objects within the shadow are now defined by the light.

A serene scene all of a sudden is "interrupted" and a sense of tension is created. A figure can be seen crossing the street in the cross-walk.