Cat. No. 553/XII
Lacs de Montagne
- State/Variant:
- State XII of XIII
- Date:
- 1997
- Alternate Title:
-
Mountain Ponds 1993; Convulsions; Lacs de Montagne (red version)
- Descriptive Title:
-
English Translation: "Mountain Lakes"
- Themes:
- Architecture, Nature
- Techniques:
- Aquatint, Drypoint, Engraving, Etching
- Description:
- Engraving, etching, aquatint, and drypoint
- Support:
- Smooth, wove Somerset paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 18 1/16 x 23 7/8" (45.9 x 60.6 cm); sheet: 23 13/16 x 29" (60.5 x 73.7 cm)
- Signature:
- "Louise Bourgeois. 97" lower right margin, pencil.
- Publisher:
- The artist
- Printer:
- Harlan & Weaver, New York
- Edition:
- 16
- Impression:
- "2/16" lower left margin, pencil, unknown hand.
- Edition Information:
- This composition was also issued as a published edition at states II and XIII.
- 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, over plate 3 printed in red.
Changes from state XI, by burnishing: fill in mountains selectively removed.
Changes from state XI, in aquatint: fill in lakes darkened. - Background:
- This state of the composition, made from three plates, was originally intended as a benefit for the Chalcographie of the Musée du Louvre, Paris. Bourgeois was later made aware that the Chalcographie has a limit of two plates for its prints. Under the circumstances, state XII was published independent of the Chalcographie, and state XIII was published as the Chalcographie benefit print.
- 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:
- 11.2002
- This Work in Other Collections:
- Musée du Louvre, Paris
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY