Alpha

Liliane Lijn (b1939)

A rare sugar lift aquatint etching on paper by the highly collected artist Liliane Lijn.

An abstract composition called alpha in midnight blue and silvery tones, from the Biting Through series 1977 published by Editions Alecto. Signed in pencil, denoted p/p for printers proof and titled with Greek letter Alpha.  The edition size was just 25.

Collections: British Council; Government Art Collection; British Museum

Further details from the artist’s website lilianlijn.com: The prints were made by the artist at Editions Alecto Studios in London and printed by Charles Newington and Loraine Smith at Tisiphone Etching Limited Published by Editions Alecto Ltd in an Edition of 25 with 5 Artist’s Proofs and first exhibited at the Serpentine Gallery, and at Editions Alecto, January 1977.

When there is something that can be contemplated, there is something that creates union.  Hence there follows the hexagram of Biting Through.

Biting Through means union.

Biting Through means consuming.     I Ching

These prints were based on innumerable drawings Lijn made in between 1974-6, in which she looked for and discovered dynamic patterns of flow. They were made by drawing identical marks on paper with attention given to the precise relationship between them.

Each mark was related to the preceding one as if they were links in a chain, the final image so dependent on this connecting relationship, that to erase one mark would lead to the erasure of them all because it would be almost impossible to find the point at which a small change in direction had led to the final image.

Drawing in this way is very much like weaving and also resembles cellular growth or the connections made between neurons in the brain.

Measurements: Unframed on paper measuring 35 x 35 cm.

Condition: Printed on BFK Rives paper overall in great condition

This work has now been sold