E.093 Arcade 1995

• I. 1st state of 5

  Drypoint. A view along a city arcade, with a figure, silhouetted against the light, in the far right distance. At the left of the image is an entrance to a stairwell; a man walks towards it. The image is constructed with sharply receding one-point perspective, with its vanishing point at the distant doorway with its four glass panels. There are four variant impressions of this state.

  1. Cleanly wiped, somewhat dry impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.
  2. Impression with rich burr and plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘2 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’. Although inscribed ‘2’, this is an impression of the first state.
  3. Cleanly wiped impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘3 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’. Although inscribed ‘3’, this is an impression of the first state.
  4. Impression with rich burr and plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘4 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’. Although inscribed ‘4’, this is an impression of the first state.

• I.b. 1st state of 5

  

  Drypoint. A view along a city arcade, with a figure, silhouetted against the light, in the far right distance. At the left of the image is an entrance to a stairwell; a man walks towards it. The image is constructed with sharply receding one-point perspective, with its vanishing point at the distant doorway with its four glass panels. There are four variant impressions of this state.

• II. 2nd state of 5

  

  Drypoint shading has been added to many areas of the plate.

  Cleanly wiped impression with burr, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘5 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’. Although inscribed ‘5’, this is the second state.

• III. 3rd state of 5

  The windows on both sides of the arcade have been burnished. There are two variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘6 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’. Although inscribed ‘6’, this is an impression of the third state.
  2. Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘7 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’. Although inscribed ‘7’, this is an impression of the third state.

• First edition, 1995

  Nominal edition of ten, but only three impressions were printed and numbered. The edition is variable. The impressions are on white and buff wove BFK Rives papers and were printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. The edition included a bon à tirer impression, on buff wove BFK Rives paper, and three artist’s proofs, on buff wove BFK Rives paper with watermark. Each impression is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[status of impression]’ [or] ‘[1 through 3]/10’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• IV. 4th state of 5

  The two figures have been burnished away and the arcade is now empty, although traces of the man at left remain. There are three variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression on buff wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled] a’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor 95’.
  2. Selectively wiped impression with plate tone, on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP IV’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.
  3. Dark impression with much plate tone, on buff wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP V’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• IV.a. 4th state of 5, on buff paper

  

  The two figures have been burnished away and the arcade is now empty, although traces of the man at left remain. There are three variant impressions of this state.

• Second edition, 1995

  Variable edition of three numbered impressions, on wove BFK Rives paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. The edition included two artist’s proofs, on buff wove BFK Rives paper with watermark (AP IV and AP V). Each impression is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[status of impression]’ [or] ‘[1 through 3]/3’; lower centre: ‘Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• V. 5th and final state

  The pilasters at the end of the arcade have been extended in height, and three of the four glass panels have been darkened; the second panel from the right is now an open doorway. The title of the work has been changed to The arcade.

  Impression on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled] b’; lower centre: ‘The Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• Third edition, 1995

  Nominal edition of ten, but only three impressions were printed and numbered. The edition is variable. The impressions are on wove BFK Rives paper and were printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. The edition included a bon à tirer impression and one artist’s proof (AP I). Each impression is inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘[status of impression]’ [or] ‘[1 through 3]/10’; lower centre: ‘The Arcade’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

  Edition sheet size: 280 x 380 mm

• Bon à tirer impression (third edition, 1995; impression of 5th and final state) (Featured Image)

  

  The pilasters at the end of the arcade have been extended in height, and three of the four glass panels have been darkened; the second panel from the right is now an open doorway. The title of the work has been changed to The arcade.

• Comment

  The subject of this print was inspired by the space of Melbourne’s Capitol Arcade, which runs between Swanston Street, Howey Place and Collins Street. The arcade takes its name from that of the Capitol Theatre in Swanston Street, a cinema designed by the architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, which opened in 1924.

  There are three principal versions of this image within its five states: the earliest version, which includes the figures of two, spatially unconnected, men in business suits; the second version, in which the figures no longer appear, following the reworking of the plate in April 1995; and the third and final version, in which three of the glass panels at the end of the arcade have been darkened, while the fourth has been changed into an open doorway with light flooding through. Amor made all three versions in the same year and within a short time of one another, with each major change altering the implied narrative of the image, edging it deeper into a mood of dark and puzzling emptiness.

  Amor repeated this view of the arcade in a drypoint of 2012 (cat. no. E.171), which he reworked and retitled in 2014 (E.171.1). There are also variants of the image, painted in watercolour and oils, as well as a 1993 woodcut with the same title, but showing a different composition.