Reflections in Water (Vattenspegling), from "The Swedish Fine Art Print Society Portfolio" (Föreningen för Grafisk Konst)
How objects and structures are reflected onto water became one of Stéen’s most consistent visual concerns in his graphic output. In this engraving, the viewer is prompted to examine such an effect: the dark grid of the structures above does not faithfully reproduce itself but instead dissipates into skeletal lines and grayed passages. Reflections in Water demonstrates a modern take on the genre of the seascape: Water acts as a flattened plane within the image while paradoxically receding into depth. Water also presents the possibility of depth beneath its surface, as Stéen explores.
Artwork Details
- Title: Reflections in Water (Vattenspegling), from "The Swedish Fine Art Print Society Portfolio" (Föreningen för Grafisk Konst)
- Series/Portfolio: The Swedish Fine Art Print Society portfolio (Föreningen för Grafisk Konst)
- Artist: Denis Stéen (Swedish, Östhammar, 1929–2020 Uppsala)
- Publisher: Föreningen för Grafisk Konst (Swedish)
- Date: 1962
- Medium: Wood engraving
- Dimensions: Image: 7 1/2 × 9 13/16 in. (19 × 24.9 cm)
Sheet: 9 1/4 × 12 1/16 in. (23.5 × 30.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Föreningen för Grafisk Konst, 1966
- Object Number: 66.748.30
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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