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Barrett Gallery Showcases Wood Engravings

Collection of Hand-Rendered Prints by Nast, Homer, Remington

Written By Keith Henry '08, Communications Assistant

Contact - cleogrande@utica.edu

Utica, NY (02/26/2009) - Today’s most sophisticated digital cameras can capture images as fast as eight frames per second and the memory sticks can hold hundreds of pictures. The resolution of these captured moments rivals reality itself. And digital technology allows for images to be published in seconds. What we see in newspapers and online today is immediate and detailed, with minimal interpretive manipulation of the image.

Before newspapers and other print media mastered the printing of photographs in its pages, artists recorded and illustrated the events and people of the day. They made meticulous wood engravings – mirror images of their drawings etched into sturdy blocks of wood and affixed to the printer’s galley along with the news type - so their artwork could be transferred to the pages of their publication. This laborious process produced remarkable illustrations by some of America’s most gifted artists.

From around 1840 up to the turn of the century, wood engravers chronicled the social, political, legal, economic and military machinations of America through their exquisite carvings. The body of work that remains represents some of the finest artistry in America’s history. These artists animated the written words and gave readers conceptual context to the stories they read.

Utica College’s Edith Langley Barrett Fine Art Gallery will feature many of the greatest artists of this era with its exhibit opening March 3 and running through April 2. American Heritage Wood Engravings 1840-1900 features works by Thomas Nast, Winslow Homer, Solomon Eytinge, Theo Davis and A.R. Waud. Part of Hamilton College Professor Jay Williams’ collection, the pieces reflect this era of commercial and fine art and journalism in America’s development as a nation.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 1p.m. to 3 p.m. For more information about the exhibit, visit www.utica.edu/gallery.

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