Eighth Stone

Universal Limited Art Editions, publisher

founded 1957

Lee Bontecou, artist

1931–2022

Eighth Stone, 1965–1968

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: lithograph

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 151 x 239 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 5 15/16 x 9 7/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 628 x 521 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 24 3/4 x 20 1/2 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 32 x 24 in

Credit line: Gift of Charles M. and Susan Alyson Young; Portland, CT

Accession number: 2013.0191

Not on display

Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

A Wry Eye: Witty, Sardonic and Ironic Work by Contemporary Printmakers

Art critic and philosopher Arthur Danto describes the sculptural work of Bontecou as lying “at the intersection of magnified insects, battle masks, and armored chariots.” In her own words, Bontecou strives to capture “the visual wonders and horrors” of the natural world. Her lithographs capture the gnarly metallic features of her metal constructions that seem to look and speak through openings lined with rows of saw teeth.

Under Construction

Working predominantly with abstract forms, artist Lee Bontecou often incorporates organic and figurative references to the wonders and horrors of humanity. The blackened opening in the center of this work could evoke a range of emotions, from mysterious to unsettling to wondrous. The dilated dark void, typical of Bontecou’s sculptural work, is found enveloped in a bulging, otherworldly atmosphere that resembles a human eye.

The title, Eighth Stone, refers to the lithographic stone Bontecou used to make this print. Lithography is a printmaking process that involves drawing on a flat stone or metal surface with a grease-crayon. The stone is treated chemically so that the drawn image is ink-receptive but the blank areas are ink-repellent; thus, the ink only adheres to where the artist has drawn an image. The inked image is then transferred onto paper when the stone is run through a printing press. Bontecou titled many of her prints in the numerical order she produced them; the Spencer Museum also has First Stone in its collection.