Untitled (suspended abstract shapes)

Joseph Demarais

A late-career work from the artist whose life was all too brief, this mixed-technique intaglio - which exhibits elements of collagraphy, a medium that attracted the accomplished sculptor - is dated 1965 though he etched it in 1964. According to catalogue raisonne author Franz Geierhaas, this was not unusual for the discerning Joseph Demarais, who only dated and numbered his work upon completing the edition and carefully choosing his preferred impressions.

Demarais's experimental technique was what he called "intaglio-relief", applying plastic or epoxy on various matrices (a zinc plate in this case) to build up the surface and created a dimensionality that echoed his sculpture.

He was often assisted in his process by his wife, Anne, herself a printmaker, however Joseph printed the full edition of 50, something he rarely did. After his death in 1971 she continued to print his plates, annotating the impressions as such.