“Reality only reveals itself when it is illuminated by a ray of poetry” Georges Braque
Georges Braque
October bird
1962
Lithograph
Georges Braque
If I died over there
Wood Engraving
1962
Georges Braque
Birds
Lithograph
1955
Georges Braque
Birds on Blue
Lithograph
1955
Georges Braque
The white bird
1961
Lithograph
Georges Braque
The Library is on fire
1956
Etching
Georges Braque
Night Flight
1957
Lithograph
Georges Braque
Two birds on blue background
1960
Lithograph
Georges Braque
Two Birds
1958
Serigraph
Georges Braque
The Duck
1956
Oil and gouache on panel
Throughout his life, Braque produced numerous prints, mastering the techniques of etching, lithography, aqua-tint and woodcut. Unlike etching however, which relies more on the technique of drawing, lithography leans more toward painting allowing the artist to use color in his compositions. Braque’s lithographs however are not merely imitations of his paintings. In his early lithographs he reacted to the possibilities offered by the medium and achieved a texture that was foreign to his etchings and a transparency quite different from the density of his oil paintings.
In 1945, after a short hiatus, Braque returned to lithography and he continued to pursue this until the end of his life. This time his approach to the medium is different in that he no longer allows the grain but only the color to speak. He rejects the accurate capabilities of the line and instead deliberately thickens his strokes to give them a more painterly feel. The stroke is sufficiently thick so that even when black is used, it will have the impact of a color. This unusual quality of line should not be mistaken for mishandling or inexperience but rather a shift to a more painterly style and point of view.
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