(Russian Villagers)

 

Boris Margo

  1902 - 1995 (biography)

c. 1932  

cellocut 

6 1/2 x 5 1/16" image 

pencil, lower right " B Margolies" 

proof, edition not noted 

newspaper ad offest printed on verso 

not in G&S 

cream wove 

 

 

5855 

$425.00 

An early example of cellocut, which Boris Margo (this image signed with his original family name, Margolies) began experimenting with in the early 1930s. It may have been included in his portfolio "Portfolio of Early Cellocuts" that featured cellocuts done between 1932 and 1940. Groups of Russian villagers gather at night to read by candlelight, perhaps an edict, a religious ceremony? The church/synagogue looms at the top of the hill. The whole scene is lit by a full moon and a single evening star (Venus?). The composition is scratched into the surface of the melted celluloid and printed relief so the white lines create the image. The technique involved dissolving sheet celluloid in acetone to create a viscous liquid that Margo would pour onto a smooth surface like Masonite, wood, or metal in order to create a raised surface. The thicker the solution, the heavier the surface would become. Once the celluloid solidified, Margo could alter the surface with standard etching and woodcut tools or use acetone to break down areas of the hardened celluloid. At some point Margolies shortened his name to Margo.