Alpha
Print
1939 (made)
1939 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Josef Albers became one of the most influential figures of the 20th century avant-garde, with his systematic presentation of spatial ambivalence and paradox, made through endless variations on geometric themes and juxtapositions of colour in the format of rectangle and square. He is best known by these later works, but earlier works, like this lithograph- one of a group of four made in 1939, suggest he was energetically experimenting with form and a technique of 'drawing' of a more spontaneous nature, which may relate to the surrealist technique of automatic writing. At this time Albers was teaching at Black Mountain College in Carolina, but also making trips to Mexico, which he found very inspiring.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Alpha (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Lithograph on paper |
Brief description | Josef Albers: lithograph: Alpha. 1939 |
Physical description | A spiral form of 3-4 concentric lines; the pattern is elliptical, almost but not quite circular. The spiral dips in on itself where the two ends of the line are joined, to create a small indentation on the outermost line. |
Dimensions |
|
Copy number | 18/25 |
Marks and inscriptions | Albers 39 Alpha 18/25 (signed and dated in pencil; inscribed with title and edition number.) |
Credit line | Given by the Josef Albers Foundation |
Production | this is one of a group of four lithographs, the remaining three, titled Beta, Gamma and Delta, are also in the museum collection - see related museum numbers. |
Summary | Josef Albers became one of the most influential figures of the 20th century avant-garde, with his systematic presentation of spatial ambivalence and paradox, made through endless variations on geometric themes and juxtapositions of colour in the format of rectangle and square. He is best known by these later works, but earlier works, like this lithograph- one of a group of four made in 1939, suggest he was energetically experimenting with form and a technique of 'drawing' of a more spontaneous nature, which may relate to the surrealist technique of automatic writing. At this time Albers was teaching at Black Mountain College in Carolina, but also making trips to Mexico, which he found very inspiring. |
Associated objects | |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.9-1994 |
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Record created | November 14, 2008 |
Record URL |
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