Description

Martinelli, Ezio. Figurines . An inkless embossed print with stippled engraving in brownish-red. The image measures 11 inches x 17 ¼ inches, on a 16 3/8 inches x 22 3/8 inches sheet. No. 46 of 200. Signed, titled, dated 1961 and limited by the artist in graphite. Unframed, untrimmed and not matted. Ezio Martinelli (1913 – 1980) opened a new dimension in printmaking with this print. As a sculptor and welder, Martinelli experimented with plates, piercing and welding both copper and aluminium, which seemed to be the best choices, despite technical difficulties, for printmaking. A welded plate produced the gaufrage, after the reddish-brown color had been transferred from a lucite plate. The textural result is a sculptor’s contribution to the canon of techniques available for creating prints.

Martinelli studied in his native Italy and in the United States at the National Academy of Design and at the Barnes Foundation. He exhibited at the Whitney Museum in New York as well as at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Carnegie Institute. His works are in the collections of the Whitney Museum, the Philadelphia Museum, and various other museums. He held several teaching positions in the United States. IGAS Series No. 47, January 1962.