Town Square (Italy)

Julius Rolshoven

1858–1930

Town Square (Italy), 1883

Where object was made: Italy

Material/technique: laid paper; etching; drypoint

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 212 x 311 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 8 3/8 x 12 1/4 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 x 19 in

Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Bayles

Accession number: 1964.0128

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"American Etchers Abroad, 1880-1939," Apr-2004, Reed Anderson
Like Mary Cassatt and James Whistler, Julius Rolshoven chose the life of an expatriate, but instead of Paris or London, he chose to live in Italy, the decision no doubt influenced by his experiences as one of Frank Duveneck’s “boys”.
Only a few of Rolshoven’s etchings have come to light and among the best known of these is "Town Square (Italy)". The central focus of the print is the corner of a public square. In this print Rolshoven employs a compositional format-introduced by Whistler and adopted by many of his followers-in which forms become less distinct as one’s eye moves out from the center. This is exemplified in the ghostly image of a man and his cart at the left. Rolshoven achieved the rich tonal variations in part through drypoint and selective wiping; he accomplished the suggestion of sunlight raking over a facade by scraping away some of the ink before printing. This is easy to see near the top of the image, where the tool marks are clearly visible.