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Lot Essay
Wayne Thiebaud is a deceptive artist. On first acquaintance one might think that his seemingly straightforward depictions of cakes and candies wouldn’t require a great deal of thought, that they could probably be created in a matter of hours, like commercial illustrations or tourist watercolors of Notre Dame. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. To paraphrase Whistler, it takes a lifetime of study and practice to produce such subtle and unassuming work. Behind the straightforward depiction of pies lies a profound knowledge of artists who have gone before, artists such as Chardin, De Chirico and Morandi.
Thiebaud’s intense interest in problems and solutions posed by other artists is related to a curiosity as to how the various printmaking techniques reveal different aspects of an image. His depiction of cake stands has, for example, been realized in oils, watercolors as well as etching, and here it appears in the ultimate high-wire act of printmaking, the monotype. It is no accident that many of the forebears and contemporaries Wayne cites as inspirations include figures such as Castiglione, Degas, Gauguin and Johns, artists who have delighted in the technique.
The process is nothing if not straightforward – in simple terms an artist will paint a picture onto a flat, shiny surface and then place a sheet of paper over it and print it, either by rubbing the back of the sheet or running it through a press. Most people quickly grasp how it’s done, but not why. On one level the answer is simply for the marks it generates, but there is a deeper appeal, to do with chance and transformation. No matter how carefully and skillfully the picture is first painted, the end result has an element of the unintended, the unexpected. This haphazard aspect encourages spontaneity and experimentation, with the prospect of new, unsuspected directions. It is not for the feint-hearted, nor the unconfident.
The present work dates from 1991, but this is not the first time the artist has worked in the medium, being introduced to it by the painter, printmaker and sculptor Nathan Oliveira at Stanford in 1977. However, this particular period saw a new take on the process, which was introduced by fellow artist Wolf Kahn. This involves the use of a surface with a slight texture, such as sanded plastic, which ‘holds’ the watercolor in place, whilst still allowing the artist to move it around.
The end result is something new and familiar at the same time. Whereas the etched and painted versions of Wayne’s signature motifs are typically hard-edged, as if from an advert in an old glossy magazine, the works created in monotype are closer almost to painted recollection, a depiction of the feeling evoked by remembering a confectioner’s window seen many years ago, as a child. In so doing, Thiebaud invites us to reconnect with scenes from our own past. This evocation of early, powerful memories is done with such a light touch that we’re almost unaware of what prompted it. That’s nothing if not deceptive.
Thiebaud’s intense interest in problems and solutions posed by other artists is related to a curiosity as to how the various printmaking techniques reveal different aspects of an image. His depiction of cake stands has, for example, been realized in oils, watercolors as well as etching, and here it appears in the ultimate high-wire act of printmaking, the monotype. It is no accident that many of the forebears and contemporaries Wayne cites as inspirations include figures such as Castiglione, Degas, Gauguin and Johns, artists who have delighted in the technique.
The process is nothing if not straightforward – in simple terms an artist will paint a picture onto a flat, shiny surface and then place a sheet of paper over it and print it, either by rubbing the back of the sheet or running it through a press. Most people quickly grasp how it’s done, but not why. On one level the answer is simply for the marks it generates, but there is a deeper appeal, to do with chance and transformation. No matter how carefully and skillfully the picture is first painted, the end result has an element of the unintended, the unexpected. This haphazard aspect encourages spontaneity and experimentation, with the prospect of new, unsuspected directions. It is not for the feint-hearted, nor the unconfident.
The present work dates from 1991, but this is not the first time the artist has worked in the medium, being introduced to it by the painter, printmaker and sculptor Nathan Oliveira at Stanford in 1977. However, this particular period saw a new take on the process, which was introduced by fellow artist Wolf Kahn. This involves the use of a surface with a slight texture, such as sanded plastic, which ‘holds’ the watercolor in place, whilst still allowing the artist to move it around.
The end result is something new and familiar at the same time. Whereas the etched and painted versions of Wayne’s signature motifs are typically hard-edged, as if from an advert in an old glossy magazine, the works created in monotype are closer almost to painted recollection, a depiction of the feeling evoked by remembering a confectioner’s window seen many years ago, as a child. In so doing, Thiebaud invites us to reconnect with scenes from our own past. This evocation of early, powerful memories is done with such a light touch that we’re almost unaware of what prompted it. That’s nothing if not deceptive.