The 5th New York International Miniature Print Exhibition
Juror: JOHN MORNING
The 5th New York International Miniature Print Exhibition
MGC JUROR COMMENTARY
The 300-plus submissions to the exhibition were narrowed to 110 finalists but getting to three winners from there was difficult because of the artistry of the printmakers. They distinguished themselves by mastery of a range of techniques; a multitude of styles and subjects; and nearly equal numbers of prints in color or black and white.
The use of color, or not, is a key element in the impact of a print and was artfully chosen in example after example. So, too, is the choice between abstraction and realism as part of the artist’s expressive means. In literal, realistic subjects it is easy to feel they are recognizable immediately while abstract ones hold the attraction of recognition over longer viewing.
Most strikingly, the power of these prints was anything but miniature. The best works, despite their reduced scale, were unfailingly intriguing, creative, varied, and compelling. Their impact, in short (sic), was far greater than the dimensions might suggest.
In this emphasis on works of limited measure, we see how meaning and expression exist far beyond physical size. In them we discern landscapes and painterly compositions; mural-like proportions; and details of larger-scale subjects that gain from minute examination.
Manhattan Graphics Center deserves praise for bringing attention to the relevance of this subtle and rewarding aspect of the printmaker’s craft.
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The 5th New York International Miniature Print Exhibition
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