Artist:
Barry Moser
(American, b. 1940)
Sitter:
Barry Moser
(American, b. 1940)
Self-Portrait with Burin (2nd state)
Medium: Wood engraving on Mohawk Superfine Text paper
Date: ca. 1987
Dimensions:
10 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (26 × 21 cm)
Accession number: 89.24.2
Copyright: © artist, artist's estate, or other rights holders
Label Copy:
Barry Moser fittingly depicts his self-portrait in his signature medium of wood engraving. The small, tightly cropped, high-contrast work reveals little about the artist’s facial features which are obscured by a full beard and the brim of a cap. Front and center, however, is the primary tool of this artist’s trade: the burin. A burin is a sharp, pointed tool with a grip fitted to the palm of the hand, which is used to incise lines onto a block of wood. The first and second states of his print have only subtle differences—primarily the paper and the artist’s monogram in the print.
Barry Moser fittingly depicts his self-portrait in his signature medium of wood engraving. The small, tightly cropped, high-contrast work reveals little about the artist’s facial features which are obscured by a full beard and the brim of a cap. Front and center, however, is the primary tool of this artist’s trade: the burin. A burin is a sharp, pointed tool with a grip fitted to the palm of the hand, which is used to incise lines onto a block of wood. The first and second states of his print have only subtle differences—primarily the paper and the artist’s monogram in the print.
Curatorial RemarksSIGNATURE