Incorrect Username, Email, or Password
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2008.46
People
James Brown, American (Los Angeles 1951 - 2020 Valladolid, Mexico)
Title
The Cut Stems
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
2003
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/70415

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Laminated, pigmented abaca with watermark
Dimensions
38.9 x 27.1 cm (15 5/16 x 10 11/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: l.r., graphite: James Brown 2003
  • inscription: lower left, graphite: 40/75

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Dieu Donné Papermill, Inc., New York], sold; to Edward Saywell, Boston, Massachusetts; gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2008

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Edward Saywell in memory of Craigen Weston Bowen
Copyright
© James Brown / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Accession Year
2008
Object Number
2008.46
Division
Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact
am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Commentary
"The Cut Stems" is a multiple which is the result of the artist's residency at Dieu Donné Papermill in New York in 2003. Dieu Donné sponsors a residency program every year, in which the chosen artist is given three days in the papermaking studio, along with technical assistance. The resulting artworks are sent to those who subscribe to the Collectors Series and are also offered for sale. According to the Project Description provided by Dieu Donné, "The Cut Stems" "was based on a sample found in the artist's 19th century album of seaweed specimens. The image was translated into a watermark using fabric paint on no-see-um mosquito netting. In the studio, a base sheet of unpigmented, translucent abaca [Manila hemp] paper was formed and couched (transferred) onto a pellon. Next, the no-see-um netting was placed on top of the papermaking mould and a pigmented, blue-gray sheet of translucent abaca was pulled. The elevated, painted areas of the watermark created thinner areas in the colored sheet. This sheet was then couched directly on top of the base sheet, illuminating the image. Finally, the sheets were pressed in a hydraulic press and dried in a forced-air drying system."

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu