Shell
1935
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
wood engraving
Dimensions
image: 11.7 × 17.8 cm (4 5/8 × 7 in.) sheet: 18.4 × 26.9 cm (7 1/4 × 10 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Florian Carr Fund and Gift of the Print Research Foundation
Accession Number
2008.115.185
Art Historical Context
Discover the intricate beauty of *Shell* (1935), a masterful wood engraving by Paul Landacre, an esteemed American printmaker renowned for precision and love of nature. Created during the Great Depression era, when affordable prints flourished as accessible art, this small yet captivating image measures just 11.7 × 17.8 cm, inviting close contemplation of its subject—a seashell rendered with exquisite detail. Wood engraving, Landacre's favored medium, involves incising fine lines into the end grain of hardwood blocks, allowing for remarkable sharpness and texture unattainable in other relief ...