About this artwork
During the 1950s, when abstraction was the dominant theme in American art, Alex Katz insisted on painting representational subjects drawn from firsthand observation. Portraits in particular figure prominently in Katz’s oeuvre, especially after 1960. Like his contemporaries Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella, Katz created art that was clear, reductive, and unambiguous in an attempt to minimize emotion. For inspiration he turned to mass media, especially advertising and cinema, for devices that would enhance his work’s clarity, impact, and impersonality. In composition and aesthetic, the prints of June Ekman’s Class exemplify these ideals, with their narrow format and frank linear properties enhanced by aquatint. Like advertising images, the portraits are often cropped at the forehead or jawline, making the faces appear massive despite their modest size.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Alex Katz
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Title
- Nancy
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1972
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Medium
- Etching and aquatint on ivory wove paper
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Dimensions
- Image: 14.9 × 22.4 cm (5 7/8 × 8 7/8 in.); Sheet: 27.9 × 38.1 cm (11 × 15 in.)
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Credit Line
- Margaret Fisher Endowment
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Reference Number
- 2000.440.5
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Copyright
- Art © Alex Katz / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
