City Hall Philadelphia Etching by Jerome Kaplan

This is an etching by Philadelphia artist Jerome Kaplan. The subject is City Hall in Philadelphia. It is from a series of etchings Kaplan did in 1966 of Philadelphia landmarks. This is a two color etching black and a very cool blue where Kaplan uses different intensities and types of ink to capture the light and shadow. The use of the blue ink provides additional interest and depth to the shadows seemingly creating both umbra and penumbra. This is the mark of a very accomplished etcher. Designed by John McArthur Jr. and Thomas Ustick Walter, City Hall opened in 1901 serving as the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia for over 100 years. It is built in the 2nd Empire style. Kaplan sets the scene at night with illumination from street lights, signs, and the projected lights on the building. This creates a very dramatic image with the ornate building emerging from a dark surround. The frame size is given above. The plate size is 11.5 x 14.75 inches. It is titled lower center, the edition (27/40 a small edition for Kaplan) is given lower left and it is signed Jerome Kaplan '66 lower right all in pencil. There is a monogram JK in the plate lower right. The etching is in excellent condition. The printing in crisp and well inked. There is no fading, toning, foxing, staining, tears, or paper loss. It is archivally framed and matted. It has not been examined out of the frame. A wonderful piece of Philadelphia and American history by a fine artist.
Jerome Kaplan (1920-2007)
Jerome Kaplan was a Philadelphia printmaker who exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad. He was Professor and Director of the Printmaking Department of the Philadelphia College of Art. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1961. His works are held by the Library of Congress, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the New York Print League among others. Exhibitions include: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts annual, 1958; Fourth International Prints exhibition, Ljubjana, Yugoslavia, 1961; Philadelphia Print Club, 1970s; Premiere Biennale Internationale de l'Estampe - Epinal (France), 1971; National Society of American Graphic Artists, New York, 1979, among others. He was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1961; a Tamarind Lithography Workshop scholarship, 1962; Mettie Marie Jones Visual Arts Fellowship, 1983; and the Richard Florsheim Art Fund Grant, 1993. He produced numerous works representing well known Philadelphia landmarks, but also produced abstract works.

Size: 1970s
Price: $125
Framed Size: 22.25 x 25.5 inches
Plate Size: 11.5 x 14.75 inches
Condition: Excellent
Medium: Etching
Subject: Architecture & Cityscape

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