E.091 Self portrait 1995

• I. 1st and only state

  Drypoint. A frontal self portrait showing the head of the artist, who looks over the top of his spectacles. The remnants of an earlier, horizontal composition are evident. There are five variant impressions of this state.

  1. Impression with plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘1 [circled]’; lower centre: ‘Self Portrait’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.
  2. Selectively wiped impression with plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP I/IV’; lower centre: ‘SP’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.
  3. Impression with rich burr and light plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP II/IV’; lower centre: ‘SP’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’. (Featured Image)
  4. Impression with unevenly wiped plate tone, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP III/IV’; lower centre: ‘SP’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.
  5. Cleanly wiped impression with little burr, on wove paper, printed by Rick Amor in his Alphington studio. Inscribed in pencil, below the plate mark: lower left: ‘AP IV/IV’; lower centre: ‘SP’; lower right: signed and dated ‘Rick Amor ’95’.

• I.c. Artist’s proof of 1st and only state (Featured Image)

  

  Drypoint. A frontal self portrait showing the head of the artist, who looks over the top of his spectacles. The remnants of an earlier, horizontal composition are evident. There are five variant impressions of this state.

• No edition

• Comment

  This self portrait sketch was drawn directly, in front of a mirror, onto a copper plate that had been used earlier and discarded. The initial, horizontal composition on the plate derived from Amor’s painting The lamp, 1994, which depicts a man with a suitcase walking in a vast, museum-like interior, in the centre of which stands a large classical vase; an elaborate lantern is suspended at the upper left.

  In making E.091, Amor scored over with drypoint the main features of the earlier composition but the subject remains visible, especially when the sheet is turned laterally to the left.

  This is one of two intaglio self portraits made by Amor in 1995. For the other, see Self portrait (small) (cat. no. E.096).