Anatomy of the Stroke
In 1976, Engel began a performance piece, a one a day execution of drawn self-portraits, to span a year's time. This led the successive representational drawings slowly into abstraction where Engel produced a series of over 200 graphite drawings. The technique involved a graphite stick used on its side where broad strokes and layers of marks were controlled and modeled by the precision of the artist's hand. The result of the final drawings became a single controlled stroke. By changing hands in mid-stroke and simultaneously spinning and tilting the stick, a mobius path is perceived - flowing through the layers of the picture plane.
(Excerpt/ paraphrased from artist statement by Larry Engel)
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Top Image: Larry Engel, Conglomerate, Graphite on Fabriano Paper, 28 x 40 inches, c.1970's (Price on Request)
Bottom Image: Larry Engel, Four Balls, Graphite on Fabriano Paper, 28 x 40 inches, c.1970's (Price on Request)
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