Black and Gold Abstract by Yannick Balif
This is an etching and aquatint by the French printmaker Yannick Balif. It is an abstract, with back etched marks on a grey field with small highlights of gold interwoven with the black. It's minimalist with effective use of negative space. It is an etching and aquatint and very characteristic of the artist's style. It utilizes thick ink to create a surface the gives the image some depth. It is pencil signed lower right Y Balif but is not dated. The edition is given in pencil lower left 13/40--a relatively small edition for her work. . The image is crisply printed with a strong impression. The plate mark is 9 x 12 inches. The print is in very good condition. There is no fading or foxing. The sheet is full and untrimmed with no paper loss or stains. Sheet size is 16 1/4 x 19 3/4 inches. If is framed but not matted. The backing is not archival. Frame size is 17 3/8 x 21 inches. A nice example of the artist's work.
Yannick Ballif (1927 - 2009) Yannick Ballif (or Balif as it is also spelled, in fact her signature varies between the two) is a French printmaker. She studied under groundbreaking printmaker Johnny Friedlander. While not a lot of biographical information is available, she is known to have taught at l'Ecole des Arts décoratifs de Paris in the 70s and 80s. Of interest, her given name is Mariannick Swinnen. While taking her husband’s surname, she phonetically contracted her first name to sign all her work.
The rich surface of her etchings captures the techniques that gives her etchings a three-dimensional nature. However, rather than emulating the stylized abstract style of Friedlander, Balif creates images that are evocative of the abstract expressionists with bold colors and gestural approaches to printmaking. Even though her works are very abstract, they are frequently representational with images of the shoreline being of particular note. She also incorporates geological features into her work. Her work is held in the Cabinet des Estamps of the Bibliotheque Nationale. While recognized as a extraordinary artist in her time, since her death she has slipped into relative obscurity. Fortunately, there is a good body of representative works that appear on the market at very affordable prices given the quality of the art.
Price: $300
Size: 16.25 x 19.75 inches
Framed Size: 17.5 x 21 inches
Plate Size: 9 x 12 inches
Condition: Very Good
Medium: Aquatint Etching
Subject: Abstract
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