Untitled (horse), from the series "Metamorphosis Animalis" by Tilopa Monk a.k.a. Rudiger Frank

Untitled (horse), from the series Metamorphosis Animalis by Tilopa Monk a.k.a. Rudiger Frank

Untitled (horse), from the series "Metamorphosis Animalis"

Tilopa Monk a.k.a. Rudiger Frank

Title

Untitled (horse), from the series "Metamorphosis Animalis"

 
Artist
Year
1975  
Technique
color etching 
Image Size
4 11/16 x 3 1/2" platemark 
Signature
pencil signed "Rudiger Frank" (before name change), lower right 
Edition Size
14 of 30  
Annotations
pencil dated and editioned. 
Reference
 
Paper
smooth, soft handmade laid 
State
published 
Publisher
artist 
Inventory ID
21653 
Price
SOLD
Description

Information to be found on the artist Rudiger Frank, who changed his name to Tilopa Monk in 1984 at age 35, is relatively sparse, though we have managed to but together a small biography. He was best known for his abstract expressionist oil paintings and magic realist etchings.

Monk pays homage to Albrecht Durer's etching "The Small Horse" from 1505. The subject is squeezed into the foreground of the composition with its right leg cocked and metal shoes that cover the hoofs. Unlike Durer's perfectly proportioned steed Monk's horse is stretched and swaybacked and has seen better days.

Regarding this series of etchings, "Metamorphosis Animalis," (Natural Metamorphosis) it is unclear how large the series was when and if it was published. There may have been up to 81 images in total. Some are printed on folded sheets that feature poems by Renata Zunke; others stand alone.

Some are surrealist or magic realist in nature, others are relatively straight forward compositions. Adding to the mystery is the dating: some are dated with the publication's year, 1975; others are dated 1976.