"Grand Scale" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Size matters at the PMA.
The Sacrifice of Isaac, 1586, by Andrea Andreani
When it comes to some things—mountains, oceans, hamburgers—bigger is always better. This can also translate to art.
While printmaking would seem limited by paper size, “Grand Scale” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art shows that ambitious printmakers as far back as the Renaissance lived large when creating mural-sized, multiprint images that competed for wall space with traditional tapestries and paintings.
While most of these big mural prints were lost due to paper’s fragility and old-fashioned hanging techniques—many works would’ve been glued to the walls, wallpaper-style—the show at the PMA rounds up more than 40 amazing works, including pieces by by masters like Albrecht Durer. The prints, by and large, recount important stories in human history and myth, from battles and triumphal parades to biblical narratives. There are also wonderful symbolic birds-eye-view maps, including one of Venice by Jacopo de’ Barbari made from six woodblocks, which conveys the majesty of the city surrounded by water.
Borrowing imagery from paintings or relief sculpture (especially architectural friezes), printmakers worked mostly in woodblock prints to orchestrate these big montages. As you can see in the exhibit, the edges of the prints abut perfectly to make a larger whole. The prints required many different hands, and each enterprise required planners, organizers and coordinators in addition to artists and carvers. Like all prints, these pieces were multiples and would have been made to sell to wealthy patrons with large walls to fill.
Arguably the largest work in the PMA’s show is Durer’s The Triumphal Arch of Maximillian I—so big it’s showcased outside the gallery in a nearby hallway. This work, commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian I, was produced and distributed like a calling card or gift to remind the receiver of the emperor's power.
Like all mural-sized works, these were meant to be seen from a distance and also studied up close. The delicacy of line and elegance of poses in the long, scroll-like (or frieze-like) Punishment of Niobe makes reading the stories in detail a delight. Yet from a distance, the work has a sculptural feel and would’ve acted almost like a sculptural frieze when placed on a wall.
Andy Warhol is the best known equivalent of these great big picture makers. His factory approach to screenprinting on canvas turned prints into big objects that competed with paintings for wall space. Contemporary artists like Virgil Marti create printed wallpaper environments with their repeat patterns and designs.
For more on the Philadelphia art scene go to theartblog.org
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1. Art said... on Apr 15, 2009 at 07:55PM
“This is the post you deleted...
Roberta Fallon is making me dizzy with this merry-go-round of venues. How many times can you review the same-old, same-old institutions and artists?”
2. art said... on Apr 15, 2009 at 07:56PM
“Roberta Fallon is making me dizzy with this merry-go-round of venues. How many times can you review the same-old, same-old institutions and artists?”
3. roberta said... on Apr 22, 2009 at 07:56AM
“suggest away. I'm open to suggestions.”