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| 9/2/2009 11:07:00 AM Email this article • Print this article |
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This example of Blum’s work, “Fathers and Sons” was created in 2008. (Photo Provided) |
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Strange Inspiration
By Wylie Schwartz
Finding inspiration in the strange and the unusual, printmaker Zevi Blum's intricate line etchings are known for a meticulous attention to detail, where every mark on the plate is given the same painstaking attention. Magical realism, medieval life, and human ingenuity gone amiss are prevalent themes his work, where the viewer becomes lured into imaginative worlds of lavish detail and gothic whimsy.
From Sept 4th through October 27th, the Ink Shop Printmaking Center will present a retrospective of Blum's work, featuring 39 images ranging from the mid 1970s to those made within the past few months. Born in Paris in 1933, Blum received a Bachelor of Architecture at Cornell University in 1957. He lived in Ithaca for nearly fifty years, where he taught drawing at Ithaca College before becoming an Associate Professor of Art at Cornell University. After retiring from Cornell, Blum relocated to California, where he continues to work in his printmaking studio.
Building upon a tradition of artists such as Brueghel, Hogarth, and Daumier, Blum's images, heavily laden in satirical content, have been included in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States, Germany, and Switzerland. A master draftsman in his own right, the influence of Blum's background in architecture is evident in his work, where elements of Classical and Baroque form set the stage for the cast of characters used to interpret a particular historical narrative; kings and queens, medieval knights and maidens, mythical birds and unicorns, and warriors, scholars and saints are among those you will encounter.
An opening reception will be held on Gallery Night, Friday, September 4th, as well as an additional artist's reception to be held on Friday, October 2nd from 5-8pm where Blum will join the Ink Shop in person. 0n October 5th, Blum will deliver a gallery talk from 6-8pm.
In anticipation of his forthcoming visit to Ithaca, we spoke with Blum from his studio in California to find out more about what informs his particular aesthetic.
Ithaca Times: Can you tell me a bit about your background and how you became interested in art?
Zevi Blum: I Studied fine arts and architecture at Cornell, and practiced architecture for a decade. I received a NY State license, and exhibited in NYC. I taught art at Cornell for 33 years and continued to exhibit. As a child my mother thought I was a gifted artist, and I concurred breaking a tradition of physicists and mathematicians in the family.
IT: What is your history with Ithaca and with the Ink Shop?
ZB: One of the founders studied with me. We have been friends and in contact ever since. I believe I did their first book honoring Prof. Kahn which featured the work of Judith Kurlander, an Ithaca poet.
IT: What drew you to etching?
ZB: It was the first art I loved as a child. I grew up in a rural community in New Jersey, and my father had lots of books. I remember seeing Van Dyke's portraits in a book of etchings. I still like them - they are elegantly executed and beautifully designed. From there I went on to Rembrandt, and mainly the Northern European printmakers.
I'm basically self-taught as an etcher. I think I had my only lesson from Stephen Barbash - he's really the one who got me started. I've never taken an etching class.
IT: How would you describe your technique?
ZB: Very straightforward traditional. I probably do the same thing that was done one or two hundred years ago.
IT: Who are some of your artistic influences?
ZB: Grunewald, Ercole Roberti, Cranach, and Picasso - because he's the greatest. For my generation I'm unusual. Usually Matisse is placed as the most influential artist. Matisse is a direct observation artist, whereas Picasso relied on images of mythology and foreknowledge of the subject matter; in that sense, I relate more with Picasso. To put it differently, when Matisse wants to show a beautiful woman, he portrays someone from life, whereas Picasso portrays someone who is obviously a Greek goddess. I do the latter, in general.
IT: Do you concern yourself with what's going on in the broader world of printmaking or do you work independently of this concern?
ZB: In the main my own concerns.
IT: Are there any specific texts which inform your artistic practice?
ZB: The Old Testament, Bernard Berenson's 'The Art of Ineloquence,' 'Polish Wooden Synagogues' (Maria I Kazimierz Piechotkowie), Piranesi, Palladio.
IT: How did you develop your distinct visual style, and the storytelling that is characteristic of your work?
ZB: Style seems innate and it just comes along with you but you have to be lucky about this. What is a satirist without a story?
IT: How much time do you spend in your studio?
ZB: Plus or minus 40 hours per week.
IT: What are you working on right now?
ZB: I'm working on 'Isaac's Close Escape' from the Old Testament. It is not an illustration, but my interpretation; illustration is a denigrating word in the art world.
IT: What is the most interesting show you've seen lately, local or other?
ZB: The Asian art collection at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. I'm 75 years old and retired, so I don't get out of the house that much, but even when I was in NY I preferred to visit a museum rather than a specific exhibition or show. I always felt that if I was a truly wealthy man, I'd collect modern sculpture or Asian art. n
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'Zevi Blum: A Retrospective' will be on view from September 4 through October 27 at the Ink shop Printmaking Center, located at 330 E. State Street on the 2nd floor of the CSMA building. For information call 277-3884 or visit www.ink-shop.org.
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Suicide has recently come to Ithaca in a very public, and at times controversial, way. This past academic year, after three years with no suicides, Cornell experienced what is known in the scientific community as a "suicide cluster." OK, so maybe you're like me and you thought this whole JetBlue flight attendant story was good for maybe one news cycle.  |
