Stairway to the Roof by Armin Landeck
This is an engraving by iconic American artist Armin Landeck. It depicts the interior of a stairwell, but the focus, as with most of his work is the illumination, in this case being produced by bare bulbs. Landeck is a master of this and it is a feature of his work dating back to the 30s and 40s. The image is created by engraving, where the instruments are used to carve directly into the metal plate. This results in a harsh, sharp line that is well suited to this study. Landeck uses the point sources of light to create interesting geometric patterns of light and shadow giving an abstract sensibility. The narrow perspective combined with these geometric shapes is reminiscent of Cubism. This is a very late work being completed within 2 years of his death.
The print is in perfect condition. It is deeply struck and richly inked. There are full margins and no issues with the paper. It is signed and dated in pencil lower right.
Armin Landeck (1905-1984)
Born in Wisconsin, Armin Landeck studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Columbia University. During his student days in New York, he took classes at the Arts Students League and explored the museums and galleries of New York. It was during this time that he began experimenting with printmaking, producing his first print The Armenian. Thus, began a lengthy artistic career. Best known for his haunting views of Manhattan and architectural interiors, Landeck also recorded still-life arrangements and landscape settings in Connecticut.
In the 1930s, Landeck joined forces with Martin Lewis to open the School of Printmakers in the 14th Street Studio of George Miller in New York. Together, the artists offered classes on lithography, etching, drypoint, mezzotint, and wood engraving. Sadly, the Depression forced them to close their school only after a year. But Landeck continued to emerge as a towering force in New York artistic circles as he experimented with different media such as copper engraving. A member of the Society of American Etchers (known today as the Society of American Graphic Artists), he was also elected to the prestigious National Academy of Design, the Institute of the American Academy, and the Institute of Arts and Letters. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, he won several other acclaimed awards.
At a time when the Manhattan skyline was transformed dramatically in the first few decades of the 20th century, his prints revealed the dense majesty of the cityscape dotted with architectural masterpieces like the Woolworth and Chrysler buildings. His prints also reveal a preoccupation with shadows, an element that featured heavily in early black-and-white cinema, particularly in film noir. The unusual angles, lonely streets, and nocturnal settings in his images can be related to the poignant loneliness of urban life depicted by contemporaries like Edward Hopper, John Sloan, and Martin Lewis. (Courtesy of Georgia Museum of Art).
Price: $950
Size: 9.75 x 21.5 inches
Plate Size: 5 x 15.75 inches
Condition: Pristine
Medium: Engraving
Subject: Architecture & Cityscape
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