TitleBaboon
Artist
Nathan Oliveira
(1928 - 2010)
Date1994
MediumColor drypoint on cream wove paper
DimensionsSheet size: 44 5/8 × 39 in.
Plate size: 32 1/2 × 28 3/4 in.
Other (Backing board): 33 3/4 × 42 1/4 in.
SignedSigned in graphite at LR: "N Oliveira 94".
MarkingsBlindstamp at BRC recto: "Crown Point Press / Daria Sywulak".
Credit LineNational Academy of Design, New York, Gift of the artist, 1998
Object number1998.21
Label TextA painter and sculptor, Oliveira has devoted considerable creative energy to printmaking. During some periods, it has been his sole method of artistic expression. His prints, although independent works, have allowed him to experiment with forms and themes that he has used in other media as well. The large scale of this work, unusual for a drypoint, enhances the gestural quality of the lines. Their slightly blurry edges, typical of the medium, help to suggest the movement of the animal. Partly hidden by other lines along the right side are ones defining a human leg and foot.The artist wrote about this print: "'Baboon' was among the first incised prints that I made at Crown Point Press in San Francisco. Dry point, I feel, is so much part of that process and can be very autographic and expressive. 'Baboon' is among my interests in the animal world with its close relationship [to] human kind. That is part of my whole story."
