The Pond - Spring 1979 by Art Hansen

This is an etching titled The Pond Spring 1979 by Pacific Northwest artist Art Hansen. The pond is a subject that Hansen returns to time after time. It was the subject of an Associated American Artist collaboration in the 1950s, and Hansen renders the pond from different views and in different seasons. In this example, the artist is standing on a ridge and looking down at the pond through branches and tree trunks. There is very little foliage, suggesting it is early spring. The handling of the image is very modern. Some of his work is described as photorealist, but this one is just exaggerated contrast. This is typical of the artists work. The piece was created in 1979. It is mounted on an archival mat board and is in pristine condition. A crisp well inked impression. it is corner mounted, so no adhesive on the sheet. The sheet is full and untrimmed 14 7/8 x 19.5 inches in size. The plate is 12 x 15.75 inches. There are no condition issues. It is signed in pencil lower right Hansen. The title, The Pond Spring 1979, is given lower left and the edition 14/50 lower center. An excellent example of this artist's work.

Art Hansen (1929–2017) was born and, except for education, spent his entire life on Vashon Island, the largest island in the Puget Sound in Washington State. These surroundings provided much of the inspiration for his art. He studied at the University of Washington and was immediately recognized as an emerging talent. He graduated in 1952 and in that year had his first solo exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. The next year he received a Fulbright Scholarship which he used to study intaglio printmaking at the Munich Academy of Arts. He returned to the United States and received his M.F.A from the University of Minnesota. He spent some time in New York City and his work was exhibited there. He also received a commission from the Associated American Artists to produce a print that was published by them titled "The Pond". He and his wife then moved back to Vashon where he spent the remainder of his life as a printmaker and painter. He had numerous exhibitions including the Seattle Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, the New York Public Library, Smithsonian Associates, the Library of Congress, and the Vashon Center for the Arts. His work is held in collections in the Pacific Northwest and the exhibiting institutions also have collected his work.