St. Gilles #3
1962
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph in black on Arches paper
Dimensions
overall: 66.5 x 50.2 cm (26 3/16 x 19 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Neelon Crawford
Accession Number
2000.164.11
Art Historical Context
**St. Gilles #3** is a striking 1962 lithograph by American artist Ralston Crawford (1906–1978), part of his acclaimed series inspired by the ancient Romanesque of Saint-Gilles in France. Printed in bold black ink on fine Arches paper—a premium rag stock favored for its texture and durability—this work measures 66.5 x 50.2 cm and exemplifies Crawford's mastery of printmaking. As a Precisionist, Crawford distilled architectural forms into geometric abstractions, capturing the church's stark silhouettes with crisp lines and dramatic contrasts that evoke both timeless spirituality and modern aust...
About the Artist
Ralston Crawford
Ralston Crawford (1906–1978) was a Canadian-born American painter, printmaker, and photographer whose work stands as one of the most rigorous expressions of Precisionism in the twentieth century. Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, and raised in Buffalo, New York, he began formal art training at the Otis Art Institute in California in 1927 before moving on to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts...