Untitled from Locus
In her art, Rockburne explores the intersection of art, mathematics, science, and philosophy. Untitled is the first work from her landmark print portfolio Locus. In these six works, the artist engages topological concepts; a graphite "X" (visible in the center of this work) indicates the directions of the folds, while the creases function as major and minor spines that structure each piece and connect the prints. As the series progresses, the spines shift placement and dominance until they reverse positions. Rockburne ran folded paper through a printing press so edges became embossed lines and indented planes. She used aquatint, coving a copper printing plate with resin, to make a richly textured surface over which she added titanium white oil paint, which she buffeted with a tarlatan to create a luminous tone.
Artwork Details
- Title: Untitled from Locus
- Artist: Dorothea Rockburne (American, born Montreal, Canada 1932)
- Printer: Kathan Brown (American, born 1935)
- Printer: Crown Point Press
- Publisher: Parasol Press Ltd.
- Date: 1972
- Medium: Relief etching and aquatint with graphite and white oil paint on folded Strathmore rag paper
- Dimensions: Sheet: 39 3/4 × 30 1/16 in. (101 × 76.4 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: John B. Turner Fund, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.583
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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