Ben Nicholson Prints 1928-1968

The Alan Cristea Gallery is currently showing the largest retrospective exhibition of Ben Nicholson's prints ever mounted. Nicholson made prints throughout his career, from linocuts in his early days, through drypoint, and finally etchings (with only one woodcut, Abstract 1934, below, Tate Gallery). It is an intriguing exhibition, and one (probably) for the Nicholson and/or print purist. Most of the work has come from a private collection, with some early linocuts on loan from Kettle's Yard in Cambridge, such as the marvellous Head of 1933 and Profiles of the same year. Interestingly, a version of the 1938 linocut on the left (which is actually my version, as this is a linocut I did for a cover for the catalogue) is also displayed, but it is an earlier, less worked version from 1937. They even display the two lino plates used to produce the Princess textile design, complete with the original pattern still visible on the uncut sections of lino which illustrates how new the medium was in terms of producing art.

What is particularly fascinating about Nicholson's approach to printmaking is his lack of any rigid structure in how the medium is to be treated: edition sizes are random or non existent; linocut lines are painted over (the Foxy and Frankie series are a case in point) ; etchings are handcoloured or given a grey wash; old etching plates are reused, and best of all, the physical plates are trapeziums (see Siena, 1968, left, Tate Gallery)
Nicholson's etchings are not technically proficient (edges are not filed, plates are sometimes grubby), but then anyone who would use this argument against them misses the point: the imperfection is integral to the work itself. Like his drawings they display an unerring ability to find a balance between representation and abstraction with a magical economy of 'line'. This economy is further enhanced when he hand colours a small section, turning a flat image into something with great depth.