Louise Bourgeois. Mountain Ponds 1993 (1993)

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Louise Bourgeois. Mountain Ponds 1993. 1993

NOT IN MoMA'S COLLECTION

Cat. No. 553/II

Mountain Ponds 1993

State/Variant:: State II of XIII
Date:: 1993

Alternate Title:: Lacs de Montagne (Mountain Lakes); Convulsions
Themes:: Nature
Techniques:: Engraving
Description:: Engraving, with blue watercolor, blue and black ink, and pencil additions
Support:: Paper
Dimensions:: plate: 18 1/16 × 23 7/8" (45.9 × 60.6 cm); sheet: 26 1/2 × 32 1/4" (67.3 × 81.9 cm)
Signature:: "Louise Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.
Inscription:: "Mountain Ponds 1993" lower right margin, pencil, artist's hand.
Publisher:: The artist
Printer:: Harlan & Weaver, New York
Edition:: 7
Impression:: "5/7" lower left margin, pencil, artist's hand.
Edition Information:: There is 1 known variant impression of state II, outside the edition.

Varying hand additions in blue watercolor, blue and black ink, pencil, and charcoal appear on all impressions in the "Mountain Ponds 1993" edition. Four examples from the edition are seen below in the Evolving Composition Diagram.

States XII and XIII of this composition were also issued as published editions.
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.
Changes from state I, in engraving: lower left mountain delineated; segmented trough added to lower center composition.
Additions in blue watercolor: lakes added.
Additions in blue ink: contours of lakes delineated.
Additions in black ink and pencil: mountains further delineated.
Background:: State XIII was published as a benefit for Chalcographie of the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Curatorial Remarks:: The type of paper could not be documented because this impression is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person. The plate dimensions are from an impression in MoMA's Collection. The sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.
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.
Public Collection:: Musée du Louvre, Paris