We are pleased to present a special exhibition of forty-five etchings by John Hartman. The works span 25 years, including the new suite of hard ground, drypoint, spit bite and sugar lift aquatint etchings printed by Greg Burnet in New York. To date Hartman has produced over two hundred prints; this exhibition is a comprehensive survey of his drypoints.
This exhibition is held in conjunction with the exhibition and publication of Invention & Revival, The Colour Drypoints of David Milne & John Hartman at Carleton University Art Gallery in Ottawa from November 17, 2008 to February 1, 2009. The hardcover book includes forty colour plates, essays by Rosemarie Tovell and Anne-Marie Ninacs, and an interview with David Milne Jr. and John Hartman by Diana Nemiroff. David Milne invented the colour drypoint etching process in the 1920s and continued to make prints until his death in 1953. These prints are the single greatest influence on John Hartman.
“The tie that binds the practice of John Hartman to that of David Milne is on the face of it extremely simple. But it remains one of the most remarkable, for it is built on the heartfelt gaze cast by a working artist over the art of a past master and on his desire to reproduce the forms and actions that will allow him access to this facet of his inner being.” (excerpted from Child’s Play by Anne-Marie Ninacs)