Printmaking Exhibit Opens January 12

SALISBURY, MD---The works of some of the best young printmakers of Paris, recognized as the world's center for printmaking, are on display at the Salisbury State University Gallery from January 12-February 23.

The exhibit of 45 limited edition works offers an intimate look at both the present and future of the graphic art through the eyes of these 34 young artists. Eleven of them are women and all are 40-years-old or younger.

 Titled "L'Estampe en France" ("Printmaking in France"), "the exhibit brings an exciting selection of fresh, contemporary artistic expression straight from the workshops of the 'City of Lights,'" said SSU Galleries Director Ken Basile. Showcased are French artists as well as those from abroad working in France such as Wilfredo Lam (Cuba), Roberto Matta (Chile), Rufino Amay, Jose Luis Cuevas and Francisco Toledo (Mexico), Antonio Segui (Argentina), Armando Morales (Nicaragua) and Fernando Botero (Columbia). The exhibit also highlights the French atelier system, professional workshops in Paris--some dating back three generations--whose artists, working under master printmakers, are constantly exploring with techniques which range from the traditional, such as drypoint and etching, to the experimental in silkscreen including large format, lithography, carborundum and xilography. Also included are computer-generated graphics.

"The print image styles move from the powerful, expressionistic use of the human figure to delicate, lyrical abstractionism. In between are many other artistic manifestations tied to international currents in contemporary art such as ecology, the environment and neo-technology," Basile said.
"Exhibiting artists Herve´  Di Rosa and Remi Blanchard are very well known in France, others less so, and a few, such as Frederique Danse, are newcomers." 

The exhibit is made possible by the Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. A public reception will be held Friday, January 12, from 6-8 p.m. Admission to the SSU Gallery, located in Fulton Hall, is free. Hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday noon-4 p.m. For more information, call the SSU Gallery at 410-548-2547.