Black and White Diptych
Vija Celmins' "Black and White Diptych" demonstrates the artist's meticulous engagement with tonal printmaking through the combined techniques of mezzotint and aquatint. The work, executed on premium Hahnemühle Copperplate paper and presented with full margins, showcases the luminous range and subtle gradations that these intaglio processes can achieve. This two part composition reflects Celmins' characteristic focus on exploring the materiality of artistic media and the interplay between representational imagery and abstract surface effects.
- Medium
- Mezzotint and aquatint, on Hahnemühle Copperplate paper, with full margins.
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Editions & Works on Paper
February 12, 2025
Lot 132
Spotted works by Vija Celmins
Artists in conversation
Chuck Close
American · b. 1940
Close shared Celmins' obsessive photorealistic approach and meticulous tonal gradation in printmaking, producing large scale mezzotints and aquatints that transform photographic imagery into richly textured, monochromatic surfaces with extraordinary precision.
Robert Kipniss
American · b. 1931
Kipniss works extensively in mezzotint on fine papers, building luminous tonal ranges and meditative atmospheric landscapes through the same slow, contemplative intaglio processes that define Celmins' diptych, achieving a similar quiet intensity in monochromatic printmaking.
Kiki Smith
American · b. 1954
Smith produces technically demanding intaglio prints on premium papers using aquatint and mezzotint to achieve subtle tonal gradations and a meditative surface quality, sharing Celmins' deep engagement with the material specificity of the printmaking process itself.
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