LOUISE BOURGEOIS: COMPLETE BOOKS & PRINTS

Alternate Title:

Mountain Ponds 1993; Convulsions

Descriptive Title:

English Translation: "Mountain Lakes"

Themes:

Architecture, Nature

Techniques:

Aquatint, Engraving

Description:

Engraving and aquatint, with blue ink and pencil additions

Support:

Smooth, wove paper

Dimensions:

plate: 18 1/16 x 23 7/8" (45.9 x 60.6 cm); sheet: 23 5/8 x 27 11/16" (60 x 70.3 cm)

Signature:

Not signed

Publisher:

unpublished

Printer:

Harlan & Weaver, New York

Edition:

7 known variant impressions of state V

Impression:

Not numbered

Edition Information:

Proof before the editioning of states XII and XIII. This composition was also issued as a published edition at state II.

State Changes and Additions:

Matrices:
The progression of this composition, as seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below, involved 3 plates.

Plate 1: overall linear composition; printed in black.
Plate 2: fill in lakes, and later, larger cloud form; usually printed in blue, sometimes in red, pink, and gray.
Plate 3: fill in mountains and smaller cloud form; printed in blue and/or red.

Print State Changes:
Plate 1 printed in black, over plate 2 printed in blue. Plates 1 and 2 partially uninked.
Changes from state IV, by grinding and burnishing: sun partially removed.

Background:

State XIII was published as a benefit for Chalcographie of the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Curatorial Remarks:

For this impression, the sun and the larger cloud form were not inked.

Other Remarks:

According to Bourgeois's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, this composition depicts mountains in Switzerland and likely references the artist's memories of visits there in her youth, especially for skiing.

MoMA Credit Line:

Gift of the artist

MoMA Accession Number:

696.2008

This Work in Other Collections:

Musée du Louvre, Paris

© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY