Print Crit: Richard Man and Frank Gorga Again

When I get prints I like, I set them on my dining room table, which I pass on my frequent trips from the front to the back of my house. That way I get to see them often.

For the past few months I've been enjoying a couple of prints that I think are extraordinary and that I have come to love. The first was sent by Richard Man, here seen propped on my late grandmother's Bible stand under the 5000k light of my pool table:

Richard Man, The Mountains are tall, and the Trees are Tall

It's a small print, printed on an 8.5 x 11" sheet, and includes Richard's calligraphy and his chop or hanko stamp.

I hope those who are waiting patiently in line for a critique don't mind seeing a second print from Frank Gorga, who has already had his turn. But the second print I want to include in this discussion was Frank's Christmas card this year, or Christmas gift, sent in imitation of David Vestal, who used to send exquisite tiny prints to all his friends every Christmas.

Frank Gorga, Jane's Barn

It's a cyanotype, on a sheet just under 5x7" in size.

It's difficult to give an adequate impression of these as online JPEGs—you're really seeing just a pale simulacrum of each. Especially when viewed under the beautiful Winter light of my office (I work on my porch, which has windows on three sides—see a picture here), these prints have delicacy, richness, and depth.

It's unconventional to write on photographs, at least in this country, but I have to say that Richard's calligraphy makes his print—even though I don't know what tradition he's working on or what language the inscription is in! I assume it's the print title? I should have asked him but I haven't yet. But purely visually, I love the way the calligraphic characters complete the vertical line on the left-hand edge of the print and play off of the curling branches and pine needles just to the right of it. Really beautiful, and as time passes it just gets more satisfying to look at.

The chop (right) adds not just a touch of color but a light touch of whimsicality as well.

Frank's print, which he made in an edition of only 12 for a selection of friends and relatives that rotates every year (I'm honored to be included this year), has struck me over time as an ideal subject for a cyanotype. Like all cyanotypes, the first impression is made by the strong color; but in this case the subject doesn't quite entirely resolve itself at first. Only gradually does the image "resolve" out of the confused wash of blue, just as the form of the barn resolves from behind the obstruction of the trees and the dappled light and shade. It's very effective, a shrewdly chosen image for this ancient but still unconventional medium.

I've really enjoyed living with these prints.

'Raw' material
The point I wanted to make here—and I think it applies to the previous Print Crit as well, K.C.'s Philadelphia, Italian Market from last Monday—is that printmaking can complete the creation process of a photograph. The image itself is only half of it. Perhaps this is an obvious point, but it's important nonetheless and it's a point worth making.

With ordinary, standard B&W film, it was very obvious that the initial result was just raw material, because it was a negative—you couldn't view it very well the way it came out of the developing tank. It had to be printed to "realize" the image and make it easily visible. With our current digital means, the image is naturally readable immediately. But that doesn't mean that it isn't still sometimes just raw material. I don't think any of these three images would be nearly as strong if they just existed as casual digital snapshots, seen on screen in passing. You'd skip right over them. But the photographers-as-printmakers have made something uncommonly satisfying out of each of them.

It's not sensible to be doctrinaire about this—you know, "real photographers make prints" or some such nonsense. The tent is immense and includes all sorts of methods of working and all sorts of results, and I don't see anything wrong with any of it. But these last three Print Crit prints emphasize, to me, how integral a part printmaking can play in realizing a cohesive, coherent vision in the end result.

I wish we could have print sales of all three of these prints! You'd see more clearly what I mean. And all three of them hold up to continuing enjoyment over time, for me at least. What a pleasure it's been.

Mike

Book o' This Week:

In honor of Black History Month, an eloquent Black voice on the issue of race. Pulitzer-prizewinner Isabel Wilkerson's much-lauded book Caste: The origins of our discontents is a book for our historical moment.

The above link takes you from TOP to Amazon. Here's the book at Amazon Canada. "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."

Original contents copyright 2021 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Jonas Yip: "Someone else may have commented by now, but 山高樹老 are the Chinese characters mountain/high/tree/old."

John Y: "Richard Man's photo deliberately mimics traditional Chinese brush paintings, both in its composition, style and presentation. Traditional Chinese language (i.e. Chinese calligraphy) is written vertically using a brush and black ink, top to bottom, right to left. (Nowadays, modern Chinese is 'Westernised,' running left to right like English.) On a Chinese brush painting, the tradition is to write the title and/or an accompanying poem. The artist will also 'sign' their work with their red chop/seal."

Sharon: "I can see why you keep these on view. Beautiful!"

Comments

[YTC]

The Mountains are tall, and the Trees are Old.

:-)

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Nice point, it's not just the negative that's the score, the camera original, even a jpeg, also is. You have to perform it to get a piece of art.

[David Bennett]

Very nice. Funny what a few characters down a page will do to the feeling of a photograph. And they sit so nicely below the hanging branch/twigs at top left.

Second para - misplaced modifier? :-)

[John Y]

Richard Man's photo deliberately mimics traditional Chinese brush paintings, both in its composition, style and presentation.

Traditional Chinese language (i.e. Chinese calligraphy) is written vertically using a brush and black ink, top to bottom, right to left. (Nowadays, modern Chinese is "westernised", running left to right like English.)

On a Chinese brush painting, the tradition is to write the title and/or an accompanying poem. The artist will also "sign" their work with their red chop/seal.

[Stephen J]

Mike, these are beautiful thank you for TOP and the regular displays of works of excellence.

I have spoken to Richard by telephone on one occasion, it didn't go too well and the call ended quite abruptly. I had bought something through the Bay and it was taking for ever to appear in my mail, it was a rangefinder.

I went to Richard's web page at the time and there is some great work there. I did not realise, as is often the case with the presentation on a computer display, just how good the art is.

Thanks Mike, and thanks Richard, my rangefinder did show up eventually!

[Nick Davis]

I like very small prints, despite the current fashion for huge digital prints several feet wide and sharp as tack when you press your nose against them. Small prints have a jewel like quality all of their own.