Blue Dusk
1980
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
color monotype on Rives BFK wove paper
Dimensions
image: 60.96 × 45.72 cm (24 × 18 in.) sheet: 76.2 × 56.52 cm (30 × 22 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Mary E. Maxwell Fund)
Accession Number
2015.19.2939
Art Historical Context
"Blue Dusk" (1980) showcases Jacob Kainen’s mastery of the monotype process, a printmaking technique in which the artist paints directly onto a smooth plate before transferring the image to paper. Because each impression is essentially unique, the medium bridges the spontaneity of painting with the reproducibility of printmaking. Here, Kainen used color monotype on luxurious Rives BFK wove paper, allowing rich, velvety hues to evoke the quiet transition of twilight. Acquired by the Corcoran Gallery of Art through the Mary E. Maxwell Fund and now part of the National Gallery of Art’s collectio...
About the Artist
Jacob Kainen
Jacob Kainen was born on December 7, 1909, in Waterbury, Connecticut, to Russian immigrant parents who nurtured his cultural interests; his father was an inventor, and his mother instilled a love of music and literature. The family relocated to New York City in 1918, where Kainen immersed himself in art through newspaper clippings and visits to the Metropolitan Museum. After graduating from DeWitt...