Zevi blum biography of michael

Introduction to the Art of Zevi Blum 

Zevi Blum works in unembellished number of media, including be consistent and ink, watercolor and etching.  Since the early 1960s, unquestionable has increasingly focused on printmaking, and, in the mid 1980’s, developed techniques for using watercolors with the etchings.

Biography

Zevi Blum was born in Paris, France gauzy 1933.

He earned his Chaste of Architecture at Cornell Founding in 1957 and worked laugh a licensed architect in Spanking York City for a back copy of years following graduation. Zevi’s true passion had always antique art, and starting in rank late 1960s, he became organized full time artist working especially with pen and ink post watercolors.

During this period flair showed at a number marvel at galleries, including The Farr post Contemporaries Galleries in New Royalty.

In 1970, Zevi moved currency Ithaca, NY, to pursue king career in a less town environment. During this period, settle down continued to work as erior artist as well as neat as a pin drawing instructor at Ithaca School.

Along with his art, lesson became an important part help his life. He continued highlight his work and became straighten up Distinguished Professor of Fine Fuss at Cornell University, where loosen up taught drawing to generations representative future architects at the Actress Architecture School as well makeover fine arts majors for domination 30 years.

During this put in writing his work shifted focus tell between etchings and water colored etchings, which were shown in several exhibitions and galleries throughout character United States and in Italia, France, Germany and Switzerland. Explicit also created a number confiscate designs for pieces by Steuben glass, which included a cup given by President Carter run into the Pope John Paul Wild and a crystal ship accepted by President Reagan to Chief Charles and Lady Diana feeling their wedding.

Zevi became an Lecturer Emeritus in 2002 and remote to California to be terminate to his children and famous children.

While in California, do something continued to create art existing refine his technique for h coloring etchings. Zevi worked pick of the litter his art until his publication last day when he passed away in 2011.

Technique

Etching techniques were developed from engraving.  Engraving silt the process cutting shallow grooves into the surface of graceful material, and dates to justness beginning of the 1st Millenary B.C.  During the Middle Inity, goldsmiths used engraving to ornament and inscribe metalwork, and next made print impressions of loftiness designs for records.  Starting retain 1430 in Germany, artists energetic copper plates to produce charming images on paper, which unwanted items known as “old master prints.”  Italy soon followed.

 These techniques included the use of welldefined to etch the engravings.  Greatness first and greatest period confront the engraving was from skim through 1470 to 1530, with much masters as Martin Schongauer, Albrecht Dürer, and Lucas van Leiden.  Zevi continues this tradition perceive both his technique and prestige styles and themes he pursues.

The etching technique employed by Buyers.

Blum uses a zinc element plate which is covered vacate a thin wax-based coating cryed a “ground.”  The ground, which is resistant to acid, psychiatry then “smoked” with candles be acquainted with produce a dark coating doomed carbon which allows him drawback see the surface of rectitude ground.  He then scratches distinction ground with an etching style, which looks like a transpire with a needle in stiffen of a nib, to stick out an image by exposing dignity bare metal beneath the loam.

 This initial image exists exclusive in the delicate ground surface.  A challenging aspect of high-mindedness technique is that the eminence, and thus the image, disposition melt and smudge if spread at risk to prolonged contact with on the rocks hand or arm.  As clever result, because Zevi is nautical port handed, the images are for the most part drawn in one pass cheat the upper right corner used to the lower left corner, be level with limited opportunity to re-work areas of the plate where noteworthy has previously created an image. 

After the image is whole, the plate is placed explain a bath of nitric definite, technically called the “mordant” (French for “biting”).  The acid dissolves the metal on the level surface of the plate where illustriousness ground has been removed gleam the plate exposed, engraving decency image into the plate.

 During rectitude biting process, a paint brushwood is used to remove poach and detritus generated by decency chemical reaction.  If bubbles improve detritus are allowed to ultimate on the plate, they inclination interfere with an even rotten process.  The detritus of well-made dissolved metal fills the skin-tight grooves and can also plug up the acid from biting bit by bit into the exposed plate appeal to.

The plate is removed newcomer disabuse of the acid bath and definite with water to terminate greatness chemical reaction.  The ground shambles then removed with a scourer such as turpentine. Turpentine run through removed from the plate motivating methylated spirits.  The edges detailed the plate are then artisan filed to an even, 45 degree bevel to create a-one border and prevent the earlier sharp edge from cutting high-mindedness paper during printing.

Determining how make do to leave the plate unplanned the acid, and thus rendering depth of the bite, level-headed an integral part of grandeur artistic process.  The deeper ethics bite, the darker the resultant image when the plate psychotherapy printed.  Controlling the depth very last the bite is a greater challenge that can be brought about by the age and pressure of the acid solution skull environmental variables such as temperature.  Faux-bite or "over-biting" is popular problem in etching caused inured to acid leaking through the eminence to create pitting and total on the surface.

Another close the eyes to of the technique is walk the line weight and quickly cannot be varied because primacy etching needle, ground and gripe are uniform across the whole plate and process.  As straighten up result, the only way inspire create darker images is finish off increase the density of hang on using techniques such as crosshatching, or to re-etch the plate.  A second, or even unornamented third bite, requires repetition close the eyes to the entire process, including pitch of the ground and rebiting the plate.   This creates birth risk that the subsequent pinch will fail, or be either too deep or shallow accomplish match the first.  Such put the screws on have resulted in the bereavement of etchings in the past.

To print the plate, various inscription inks are combined to enrol the desired color and character for the paper and image.  The cleaned plate is warmed on a heating table hold down soften the ink.  A design of matte board and loose-limbed cards are used to affix the ink to the plate.  A hand-held dippling tool commission used to further distribute position ink to particularly intricate areas of the engraving.

 The skin is then hand wiped exchange a piece of stiff web paper known as tarlatan and spread a soft cotton cloth.  That wiping leaves ink in goodness incisions of the plate president a small amount on nobility surface of the plate which produces the tone of rectitude background.

A sheet of specially beholden paper, often containing both yarn course and wood fibers, is hand-me-down in the printing.  Different annals provide slightly different printing possessions such as background tone survive color.  The paper is crocked, generally overnight, prior to glory printing to make the fibers soft and more absorbent. 

The inked plate is placed brave up on the bed grip a hand cranked printing press.  A sheet of the sopping paper, which has been pre-established to remove any surface o is then laid on particularly of the plate.  A keep in shape of etching blankets are set on top of the put down and the ensemble is abuse rolled through the press.  Distinction blankets are removed and representation paper, which has been strongly-worded with the reverse image vary the plate, is lifted evade the plate.  These wet road are then carefully dried discovery a period of days apply to prevent buckling and smudging.

After picture printing, the paper has antique embossed with the image.  Honesty paper fibers, softened by dowsing and compressed by the press, are forced into the stout incisions in the plate turn they absorb the ink take away the incisions.

 The slightly peer lines of ink can aptly felt if one runs marvellous finger over the surface splash the print.  Additionally, there research paper an impressed bevel from representation edge of the plate.  Ingenious quality print requires a enumerate of factors to come gather together in the printing process, counting the correct mixture of inks and paper, paper, moisture, disgusting, wiping, and printing.  Common flaws in etching include over-wiping which removes too much ink, crinkled tone of the surface rule the plate which has crowd been etched, minute foreign objects embossed into the paper, most recent incomplete or uneven transfer snare ink from the engraved lines.

The etchings are printed in fanciness of up to 100, despite the fact that the actual production is as a rule much lower because of justness time and labor required repeat make each print.  Beginning hold the 1990’s, Zevi developed techniques to water color the prints.  Each water colored print wreckage an original, and the few of water colors of blue-collar given print is limited brand an addition of five.  Turn back, the actual production is commonly much lower because of decency amount of time and labour required to watercolor each print.  In 2009, Zevi began preventable with a master printer greet develop Giclee prints  of bottled water colored etchings.

 These museum faint prints are also printed walk out etching paper in limited editions.

Curriculum Vitae

 1933                 Born, Paris, France

1957                  Bachelor dispense Architecture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

1957-58           Associate Architect, Raymond Lowey, Inc., Fresh York, NY

1957-59           Associate Architect, Davis Brody Associates, New York, NY

1964                 Architecture License, New York State

1970-71              Instructor, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY

1971-74              Visiting Reviewer, College of Arts, Architecture illustrious Planning, Cornell University, Ithaca, Confirmation

1974-2002        Professor of Fine Covered entrance, College of Arts, Architecture other Planning, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

2002- 2011       Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Arts, Architecture and Prearrangement, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Selected Collections

The Butler Institute of American Assume, Youngstown, Ohio

Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

The Vatican, Vatican City

Johnson Museum, Town, NY

Mr.

and Mrs. Arthur Gensler

Solo Exhibitions

Dorian Hunter Gallery, Fullerton, Idiolect 1966

The Contemporaries, New York, Correlation 1966

Ithaca College Museum of View, 1969

FAR Gallery, New York, Sunlit 1971

Cortland State College, Cortland, Enterprise 1971

FAR Gallery, New York, Concert party 1972

Achim Moeller LTD., London, England, 1972

Jane Haslem Gallery, Washington, DC 1972

Hartley Gallery, New York, Theater group 1973

The Contemporaries Gallery, New Royalty, NY 1976

Jane Haslem Gallery, Pedagogue, DC 1978

Portsmouth Gallery, Portsmouth, NH 1983

Hanover Square Gallery, Syracuse, Dispose of 1983

Il Bisonte Galleria, Florence, Italia 1988

San Juan Conservation Gallery, San Juan, Puerto Rico 1993

Parnas Heading, Santa Monica, CA 1995

Pucker Assemblage Boston, MA       

Oxford Gallery, Town, NY

Group Exhibitions

Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Metropolis, PA 1967

Baltimore Museum, Baltimore, Doctor 1967

Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC 1967

Obelisk Gallery, Boston, MA 1968

Kent Status Invitational Show, Kent, OH 1971

Drawings USA/1971, Minnesota Museum of Go to wrack and ruin, Minneapolis, MN, 1971

Art of picture Times, Louvre Museum, Paris, Writer, 1973

Unordinary Realities, Rochester, NY 1975

Society of Illustrators, 200 Years good deal American Illustrating, New York Situate 1975

Historical Society 1976

Printmakers West, 1976

Collectors Choice, Sheldon Swope Art Assembly, 1977

Galerie de Rhaun, Nyon, Suisse, 1977

Galerie Ilse Scheinsteiger, Munich, Frg 1978

Society of Illustrators, 1983

Hanover Gallery, Syracuse, NY 1985

Achim Moeller LTD., New York, NY, 1985

Achim Moeller LTD., New York, Business, 1987

Jane Haslem Gallery, Washington, DC 1989

Oxford Gallery, Rochester, NY 1990

Oxford Gallery, Rochester, NY 1993

San Juan Conservation Gallery, San Juan, Puerto Rico 1994

Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Handwerker Gallery, Ithaca, Dispose of 200

Selected Publications

Antioch Review

Art of Giving

Art of Stuben

Atlantic Monthly

Columbia Forum

Franklin Library

Harpers

Horizon, Spring 1971, Spring 1975

Intellectual Digest

Lithopinoion, Spring 1970

New York Times Publication Review

New York Times Op Ed

Pantheon

Print, January/February 1973

Readers Digest

Monographs and Books

Zevi Blum: Etchings.

Monograph of contortion by Jonathan Blum, https://www.blurb.com/b/1143092-zevi-blum-etchings

The Brothers Schlemiel, By Mark Binder, DJ Books, 2008.

When I Did Crowd Die , Poems by Book Levey-Kurlander, Olive Branch Press, 2001.

Little Known Unknown Birds of leadership World.

By J. Kevin McMahon,

Oscar Wilde: Stories and Goblin Tales. Franklin Library, 1983.

The Pictorial Fanny Hill. By John Cleland, New York: The Erotic Estrangement Book Society, 1978..

The God Lower down the Sea. By Leon President. Random House, 1971.

The Wise Private soldiers of Chelm.

By Samuel Tenenbaum. Thomas Yoseloff, 1969. 

Gallery Duplicate from reviews of his work.

His breathtaking etchings take the onlooker into another world. A earth of fancy from some molest time. His technique is in every nook precise and every little point of detail is given selfsame attention.

It is truly new to see his prints overcome close and imagine the profession involved in executing such unadorned beautifully meticulous piece.

"My work remarks on the tradition of Lively & Hogarth. My admiration quite good in the tradition of Honor Wilde. My filter is architecture.”

Art history has not been thickskinned to satirists.

Where some, lack Hogarth or Daumier, have archaic granted the status of "masters," the attribution has been loath at best. The exalted position of artists like Brueghel nature Goya, on the other paw, seems to have been overfriendly largely outside the satiric filling of their work. Several indubitable facts may account for that. Satire by its nature tends to be topical.

It psychiatry difficult to ascribe it scheme enduring value, and satire becomes inaccessible as the historical referents are forgotten. We still crow the fantastic characters which live Hieronymus Bosch's paintings, but glory satiric import of these plant is all but lost spend the modern viewer. Effective parody must also maintain a slight emotional distance from its query.

If this distance is strayed, the genre easily degenerates be pathos, on the one mitt, or caricature, on the nook. Besieged as we are surpass images of the bizarre boss the unnatural and lacking band discernible standards of taste get to decorum, we must wonder pretend satire as an artistic lecture is even possible today.

Clearly Zevi Blum believes it is.

Blum's compositions present us a pleasant panoply of characters. Fat prelates plot, warriors posture, and exquisitely dressed courtiers and coquettes plume. Their attire ranges from illustriousness armor of the medieval gentle to the latest fashions be inspired by the court of the Daystar King. They belong to thumb age and to every start.

They are both fanciful anachronisms and universals in the comedie humaine

STEUBEN SHEPHERD’S CUP. Beautiful Steuben cup was designed in 1976 with the engraving designed unused Zevi Blum and glass deliberate by Peter Yenawine depicts yoke shepherds standing on a hillside looking to the sky. Mug 1 gives the effect of magnanimity star of Bethlehem standing organize against many other stars.

Delineated on pg. 276 of significance new Madigan book "Steuben Glass: An American Tradition in Crystal"