Vija Celmins‘ lithographs are absolutely captivating in person. I was lucky to see a solo show of her work a while back (in London, if I remember correctly), and seeing her meticulously detailed drawings of the ocean, views of the sky, and rocky landscapes left quite an impression on me.
The three prints I’ve featured this week are all lithographic prints of her drawings, which perfectly captures the incredible detail of her images. My favorite is “Ocean,” the first image above, which I’ve seen in person recently at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. The image feels so vast, but when I was able to look at it up close, I was completely entranced by the intricacies of her drawing. I couldn’t help but imagine the artist in her workspace, diligently hunched over her drawing, completely absorbed by her task.
