The Boojah of Ghat

Ian Hugo

A fictionalized portrait of Ian Hugo, whose given name was Hugh Parker Guiler and his wife, author Anais Nin appears in Philip Kaufman's 1990 film "Henry & June." Hugo was one the the early printmakers to help establish the Atelier 17 in New York with Hayter, who Hugo and Nin had known in Paris.

Hugo wanted to learn engraving so he could illustrate Anais Nin's books. She was having a difficult time finding publishers and they decided to publish her works by themselves. He learned at Atelier 17 in New York, starting in 1940. This image was done in 1942.

The titling for this work remains a mystery, with both words appearing to have roots in Sanskrit but not having a direct correlation to one another. "Boojah" may be the Americanized spelling of "bhuja," which in Buddhism and Hinduism can refer to a many-armed deity. "Ghat" is an Indian subcontinental word for a broad flight of steps situated on a riverbank, providing access to the water especially for bathing, and is a site where cremations occur. It may also refer to Ghat, Libya. Ian Hugo us left no clues.

In this image, a surreal creature embraces a large, sharp-toothed fish, while a suggestion of both waves and a large bird spreading its wings stretches through the upper quarter of the sheet. Hugo engraved this image directly on the copper plate and the ink stands up from the surface of the paper.