Frank Stella, Then Came an Ox and Drank the Water, 1984 |
|
| Artist: | Frank Stella (1936 - 2024) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Then Came an Ox and Drank the Water, Pl. 7 from Illustrations after El Lissitzky’s Had Gadya, 1984 |
| Reference: | Axsom 177 |
| Series: | Illustrations after El Lissitzky’s Had Gadya, 1984 |
| Medium: | Lithograph, linocut and silkscreen with hand-coloring and collage on T.H. Saunders paper (background) and shaped, hand-cut Somerset paper (collage) |
| Image Size: | 54 in x 52 3/8 in (137.2 cm x 133 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 54 in x 52 3/8 in (137.2 cm x 133 cm) |
| Framed Size: | approx. 66 in x 64 3/8 in (167.6 cm x 163.5 cm) |
| Edition: | Numbered from the edition of 60 in pencil in the lower center; published by Waddington Graphics, London. |
| Signature: | This work is hand signed and dated by Frank Stella (Massachusetts,1936 - ) in pencil in the lower center: ‘F. Stella ‘84’ |
| Condition: | This work is in excellent condition. |
| ID # | W-6863 |
Frank Stella Then Came an Ox and Drank the Water, Pl. 7 from Illustrations after El Lissitzky’s Had Gadya, 1984 is based on the gouaches done by the Russian avant-garde artist, El Lissitzky, completed in 1919. The originals illustrated a traditional Jewish Passover song Had Gadya. Stella came upon these gouaches in the Tel Aviv museum in 1981 and was inspired to make his own take. Bursting with bright color and energetic lines, this work fills the entire paper with excitement. The conical shapes bring some semblance of recognizable geometry, while the other free shapes retain the true feeling of the artists’ hand – such as the spiraling shape in the upper right hand corner. The composition is dominated by lime green paper, causing the forms on top to pop off the page.
Created in 1984, this lithograph, linocut, and silkscreen with hand-coloring and collage on T.H. Saunders paper (background) and shaped, hand-cut Somerset paper (collage) is hand-signed and dated by Frank Stella (Massachusetts,1936 - ) in pencil in the lower center: ‘F. Stella ‘84’. Numbered from the edition of 60 in pencil in the lower center; published by Waddington Graphics, London.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Frank Stella Then Came an Ox and Drank the Water, Pl. 7 from Illustrations after El Lissitzky’s Had Gadya, 1984 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).
1. Axsom, Richard H. The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonné. New York: Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, 2016. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 177
2. Stella, Frank. Illustrations after El Lissitzky’s Had Gadya 1982–1984. London: Waddington Graphics, 1985. Listed and illustrated as plate no.7
3. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.
About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards Frank Stella Then Came an Ox and Drank the Water, Pl. 7 from Illustrations after El Lissitzky’s Had Gadya, 1984 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.
