View from Deserted Rock Quarry on the Wye (top), and Winter, also called The Small Winter, the long print (bottom) - George Baxter

Gift of Henry M. Huxley

"View from Deserted Rock Quarry on the Wye (top), and Winter, also called The Small Winter, the long print (bottom)" by George Baxter (1849, printed 1936) Aquatint in black (top), and aquatint and stipple engraving in black (bottom), on ivory wove paper.

Commentary

"View from Deserted Rock Quarry on the Wye (top), and Winter, also called The Small Winter, the long print (bottom)" by George Baxter (1849, printed 1936) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. George Baxter is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: George Baxter (English, 1804-1867) printed by Henry Taylor, Jr. The work is cataloged within a England cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Aquatint in black (top), and aquatint and stipple engraving in black (bottom), on ivory wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Plate: 18.2 × 13.2 cm (7 3/16 × 5 1/4 in.); sheet: 20 × 15.1 cm (7 7/8 × 6 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/22757

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data