Personally Curated Exhibition Portions:

EXHIBITION WALL TEXTS (BY CARTER HELMANDOLLAR, 2022)

MUSCARELLE MUSEUM OF ART (WILLIAMSBURG, VA, USA)

APRIL 15, 2022 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

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The Human Frame: Prints by Leonard Baskin 

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(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT IN PHOTO ABOVE)​​​

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Mourning Woman (1950)

Leonard Baskin

From Fifteen woodcuts, 1962, Boston. 

Reproductions printed by the Meriden Gravure Company. Letterpress by the Gehenna Press.

Published by Boston: The Friends of Art, Boston University

William & Mary Libraries Special Collections Rare Books

 

"In this print, Baskin refrains from revealing all to his viewers – instead, the presence of the woman’s body draped in jet-black mourning garb must be inferred from the oblong rectangle that exists in its place. Baskin positions the woman’s hands as to suggest the existence of her arms, again concealed by the darkness. However, the woman’s clothes are not the only thing Baskin has obscured – the black also seeps past the figure and into the background, suggesting the presence of a greater gloom surrounding the woman."

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Untitled Print

Leonard Baskin

From Fifteen woodcuts, 1962, Boston. 

Reproductions printed by the Meriden Gravure Company. Letterpress by the Gehenna Press.

Published by Boston: The Friends of Art, Boston University

William & Mary Libraries Special Collections Rare Books

 

"The interplay between figure and ground invites the viewer into this image, like many of Baskin’s other works also constructed from diverse perspectives. Occupying two-thirds of the whole scope, the blank space is separated from the sideways head through a thick line. The twisted and delicate lines placed perpendicular to the hanging head express a sense of constraint and tension. This tension is amplified by the facial expression, which is blurred to represent a chaotic inner state. Baskin intentionally suspends the head over a column of blank space, allowing the audience to speculate on the underlying cause of such grief."

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Torment, 1958

Leonard Baskin

From Fifteen woodcuts, 1962, Boston. 

Reproductions printed by the Meriden Gravure Company. Letterpress by the Gehenna Press.

Published by Boston: The Friends of Art, Boston University

William & Mary Libraries Special Collections Rare Books

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"In this print, Baskin once again puts positive and negative space in a tense relationship. The off-centered bird looms above the head, hidden in the darkness in sheer contrast with the illuminated head. Since the man’s expression is nearly obliterated, the bird gazes out at the audience to communicate his anguish. The corresponding clusters of vertical, scribbled linework of the bird and the ambiguous composition of the head express a chaotic mental state as the man slowly disappears into the pitch blackness of a tormented psyche."

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Iago (portrait and profile), 1973

Leonard Baskin

Woodcut

Gift of Barbara Waal

2021.025

"This woodcut print is in the Gehenna Press rendition of Shakespeare’s Othello. Iago, the play’s antagonist, uses his intellect and his words as tools of destruction. The heavily lined facial features provide contrast against a band of light, while the domed head acts as a break in the band of black. His hand receives much less light than his face, proving him the instigator of dark tragedies to follow. The positioning of the figure creates directional horizons which push the eye from left to right along the picture plane."

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Iago (portrait), 1973

Leonard Baskin

Woodcut

Gift of Barbara Waal

2021.024

"This woodcut is from the Gehenna Press rendition of Shakespeare’s Othello. Nothing but Iago’s head is rendered in detail, putting nearly all focus on his expression. A master of controlling narratives, his face is veiled by shadow, reflecting his selfish intentions. The figure’s head exceeds the height of Baskin’s framing, placing Iago squarely in the foreground as he makes contact with all sides of the rectangle. Iago interrogates the viewer as he leans forward, invading the viewer’s space by visually pushing beyond the bounds of his own."

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Son Carrying Father, 1950

Leonard Baskin

Woodcut

Gift of Barbara Waal

2021.011

 

"In this heartbreaking piece, Baskin plays with the audience’s expectations by reversing the roles of father and son. This piece may be intended to illustrate on a personal level the devastating cost of the Holocaust–or, it may show a glimmer of hope. Both men have clearly suffered, but the son is moving forward, burdened yet not defeated by the pain of the past."

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