Rouen (Christmas Greetings, Ernest & Elizabeth Roth, 1928)

Ernst David Roth, artist

1879–1964

Rouen (Christmas Greetings, Ernest & Elizabeth Roth, 1928), 1928

Where object was made: France

Material/technique: laid paper; etching

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 154 x 84 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 6 1/16 x 3 5/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 180 x 109 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 7 1/16 x 4 5/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 14 x 11 in

Credit line: Gift in honor of Professor Stephen Goddard

Accession number: 2003.0101

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"American Etchers Abroad, 1880-1939," Apr-2004, Reed Anderson
The early etchings of Ernest Roth attracted much critical attention for the artist’s scrupulous respect for actual appearances. While some critics applauded Roth’s complex linear constructions, seeing in them evidence of his sincerity and individuality, others found them lacking in spontaneity and freedom of drawing, one of the most cherished tenets of the etching revival.
In later works like Rouen, Roth’s drawing had become noticeably looser, and the highly detailed realism of his earlier etchings had given way to abstraction and suggestion. As this etching shows, Roth had learned how to extract the most salient features of his subject. Beginning in the late 1910s, Roth produced a small etching every year, derived from his travels, which he and his wife Elizabeth would send to their closest friends and associates during the Christmas holidays. The Spencer’s Rouen was mailed to supporters in 1928; this impression came from the estate of Frederick Keppel, Roth’s principal publisher and benefactor.