Reflections

Edmond Casarella

A unique, working proof with signs of the artist's process, this print has elements of collagraphy and paper relief with off-set inks that border the sides - as if Casarella was blocking out portions of the matrix to finalize the size of the composition. The various shapes rendered in yellow and white are embossed, emerging from the surface like flotsam and jetsam. There are only proofs for this image.

In the upper left margin are Casarella's notes on inks: "red overall / yellow", and partial fingerprints. A rare glimpse into the innerworkings of an American printmaker at the height of Abstract Expressionism.

Casarella was an early practitioner of the Paper Relief print, used as the base for this composition, starting in 1949. Using shapes cut from chipboard and illustration board he built up the surface of a plate, which was printed by hand as a relief. By peeling, sanding, scraping and carving the cardboard elements he is able to achieve a composition that looks both spontaneous and gestural.

He was further known for hiis development of "collagraphy," further building up the plate using whatever he had on hand, which, being a sculptor as well as a printmaker and painter, may have involved items of a more mechanical nature: round and square washers, twisting metal shavings, etc., placed carefully on the matrix to become a vibrant, organized chaos and printed from the uneven surfaces

A description of the paper relief technique can be found on page 154 of "The Stamp of Impulse - Abstract Expressionist Prints" by David Acton, Worcester Museum, 2001.