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PRINTMAKING - Stanley William Hayter

Stanley William Hayter December 27, 1901 – May 4, 1988. Hayter was an English painter and print maker. In the 1930s he was involved with the Surrealism movement and around 1940 onward with Abstract Expressionism.


I started by looking into his prints and found a lot of engravings, they were so interesting. This one really stood out to me.

Le Chas de l’aiguille - 1946- Engraving on paper
I love the confidence in line, the simple marks that together make a face. The information is all there to let you see a face. The lines are tangled but controlled. What i find interesting is this is very expressive, but it reminds me of automatic drawing that i discovered when looking at surrealism last year. He was a noticeable figure in both surrealism and abstract expressionism so i can see both and how the two come into play. 

I love the simplicity of it, but i also was really attracted to this piece ...

Myth of Creation - 1940- Engraving, aquatint and etching on copper. 
It is so busy! I just love those lines! they are so loose but so controlled. So confident... Its kind of intimidating... 

I like the contrast between thick and thin and to me, the thick lines give off a feeling of aggression, or should i say, they feel aggressive. I really like this section 


I love that line on the left, how it sweeps down and across almost fading at one point, i can feel the smooth wrist movement of it. Its funny how a line, a mark, can make you feel something... how thin it is, how thick, how dark, light, how fluid it is, how static... how can one line invoke so much thought. I think that is really looking, people always look but they don't see. If one line can make you ... i guess feel when you actually process it a whole image together is so powerful. 


Hex - 1981 - Engraving on paper

I liked this print also but it got me thinking about abstraction. This is an abstraction of the interior of Hayter's studio. 

This is important for my upcoming units! What do i know about abstraction? 

To abstract something is to separate or withdraw something from... something else. An object or  a figure where forms can be ... simplified.

When i think of abstraction i think of gestural marks. To me abstraction is about how something FEELS rather than how it is seen...  Its, to me, spiritual. It is to take away the expectations of the eye and let the brain see. 

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