Plate I from The Temptation of Saint Antony I-XIV

About this artwork

**Plate I from *The Temptation of Saint I-XIV*** Tim Rollins + K.O., 1989 Step into the imaginative world of Tim Rollins +.O.S., a groundbreaking collaborative formed in the 1980s by artist Tim Rollins and the Kids of Survival (K.O.), a group of young artists from New York's South Bronx. This aquatint print, Plate I from a portfolio of 14 inspired by Gustave Flaubert's surreal novella *The Temptation of Saint Anthony reflects their unique approach: blending literary classics with communal creativity to empower at-risk youth. Created amid the vibrant East Village art scene and the challenges of urban America, the series captures themes of temptation, resilience, and transformation through vivid, dreamlike imagery. The technical mastery shines in its innovative medium—aquafortints on xerograph-printed *chine collé*, where delicate images are adhered to sturdy wove Lana Gravure paper (plate: 21.4 x 13.6 cm; sheet: 56.5 x 37.8 cm). Aquatint allows rich tonal gradients, evoking the novel's hallucinatory visions, while xerography adds a modern, accessible edge, merging fine art printmaking with everyday photocopying. Donated to the National Gallery of Art by printmaking pioneer Kathan Brown, this work exemplifies Rollins + K.O.S.'s democratic ethos, making high art inclusive and socially vital. A testament to collaboration's power, it invites visitors to ponder art's role in personal and cultural redemption.