Ed Ruscha (born 1937); Cheese Mold Standard with Olive;
Ed Ruscha (born 1937)
Cheese Mold Standard with Olive (Engberg 31), 1969
Screenprint in colors on wove paper, signed in pencil, dated and numbered 130/150 (there were also 10 artist's proofs), published by the artist, printed by Jean Milant and Daniel Socha at the artist's studio, Los Angeles, with full margins.
19 5/8 x 37in (49.8 x 94cm)
sheet 25 3/4 x 40 1/16in (65.4 x 101.8cm)
Footnotes:
Essay:
Ruscha explored the visual language of everyday architecture and the American landscape in Standard Station. In the early twentieth century, Standard Oil was the world's largest oil company, and its gas stations were a familiar sight during the artist's drives from Los Angeles to his hometown in Oklahoma. By incorporating the name 'Standard' into the work, Ruscha not only references a widely recognized American brand but also highlights the ordinary, commonplace aspects of American life, transforming a familiar roadside structure into a subject of artistic significance. Additionally, the inclusion of the artist's iconic olive motif introduces an absurd, surreal element to the work, contrasting mundane American architecture with an everyday food item.
Ruscha recruited Art Krebs, a Los Angeles printer he knew through his work with Walt Disney and paid him forty dollars to create the screens for the Standard Station screenprint. These screens were later used for other iterations of the image, including Cheese Mold Standard with Olive. To achieve the blended effect in the background, Ruscha used the 'split fountain' technique, an uncommon practice in the commercial printing industry in 1969. This technique involved using two or more pools of differently colored ink, which were pulled across the stencil and through the screen mesh with a squeegee, allowing the colors to blend under pressure. Ruscha found that this technique successfully achieved the distinctive style of his draftsmanship. Cheese Mold Standard with Olive is recognized as a staple in the artist's graphic oeuvre and a beautiful example of Ruscha's artistic approach to American culture.
For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Condition
Overall, we consider this work to be in very good condition, colors fresh, creasing in the upper right extreme corner with a tiny associated bump, a soft hairline crease in the lower left corner, a pale pinpoint speck of foxing in the lower and upper margin, pale pink staining inherent to the paper along the extreme lower extreme sheet edge.
Ed Ruscha (born 1937)
Cheese Mold Standard with Olive (Engberg 31), 1969
Screenprint in colors on wove paper, signed in pencil, dated and numbered 130/150 (there were also 10 artist's proofs), published by the artist, printed by Jean Milant and Daniel Socha at the artist's studio, Los Angeles, with full margins.
19 5/8 x 37in (49.8 x 94cm)
sheet 25 3/4 x 40 1/16in (65.4 x 101.8cm)
Footnotes:
Essay:
Ruscha explored the visual language of everyday architecture and the American landscape in Standard Station. In the early twentieth century, Standard Oil was the world's largest oil company, and its gas stations were a familiar sight during the artist's drives from Los Angeles to his hometown in Oklahoma. By incorporating the name 'Standard' into the work, Ruscha not only references a widely recognized American brand but also highlights the ordinary, commonplace aspects of American life, transforming a familiar roadside structure into a subject of artistic significance. Additionally, the inclusion of the artist's iconic olive motif introduces an absurd, surreal element to the work, contrasting mundane American architecture with an everyday food item.
Ruscha recruited Art Krebs, a Los Angeles printer he knew through his work with Walt Disney and paid him forty dollars to create the screens for the Standard Station screenprint. These screens were later used for other iterations of the image, including Cheese Mold Standard with Olive. To achieve the blended effect in the background, Ruscha used the 'split fountain' technique, an uncommon practice in the commercial printing industry in 1969. This technique involved using two or more pools of differently colored ink, which were pulled across the stencil and through the screen mesh with a squeegee, allowing the colors to blend under pressure. Ruscha found that this technique successfully achieved the distinctive style of his draftsmanship. Cheese Mold Standard with Olive is recognized as a staple in the artist's graphic oeuvre and a beautiful example of Ruscha's artistic approach to American culture.
For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Condition
Overall, we consider this work to be in very good condition, colors fresh, creasing in the upper right extreme corner with a tiny associated bump, a soft hairline crease in the lower left corner, a pale pinpoint speck of foxing in the lower and upper margin, pale pink staining inherent to the paper along the extreme lower extreme sheet edge.
