Conservator and printmaker Christina Taylor demonstrates the color woodcut printing technique used by artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner to create the dynamic print “Bathers Tossing Reeds,” 1909. Kirchner wrote that, "There is no better place to get to know an artist than in his graphic work." Creating a small reproduction of the work, Taylor examines the details of the print to decode the creative choices that the artist pursued or abandoned in each successive step. In doing so, she uncovers the full breadth of experimentation, demystifying the printmaking terminology and techniques used.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK:

+ Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German, “Bathers Tossing Reeds,” 1909. Original Language Title: “Mit Schilf werfende Badende.” Woodcut printed in black, green, and red inks on off-white wove paper. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Charles L. Kuhn in memory of Louis W. Black, BR58.190. https://hvrd.art/o/223237.

+ Discover more printmaking and artist demonstrations, featuring works from the Harvard Art Museums’ collections:    • In The Artist Studio: Art Making Demo...  .

SPEAKER: Christina Taylor, Assistant Paper Conservator, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies Programs, Harvard Art Museums.

This video is part of our https://vimeo.com/channels/1557966 series in which curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students share short, informal videos that offer an up-close look at works from our collections.

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© President and Fellows of Harvard College. Video: Christina Taylor. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at [email protected].