Line engraving

[Alain Lovenberg]

Here is the print of the plate that I engraved during my Grand Master class .
Mr James Ehlers, professor of engraving at the university of Emporia, was kind enough to print this first proof. The photo of the plate is visible on the site of GRS

 

[rod]

Alain,

I am delighted to see the print of your engraved plate, I appear to have the honor of first response, as I look over the Pacific from my study window late at night. I wrote in my posted diary to iGraver, I had to tear myself away from Emporia, it was so tempting to stay and be with you all for the week! However I was to visit my daughter in Los Angeles, and that came first. It was great to see the individual class plates posted on the GRS site and all looked very good.

So kind of you and Philippe to keep the Liege/ Emporia axis connection going in such a friendly and valuable way !

Peut etre, a bientot a Liege ....

best

Rod

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Good evening Rod,

it is early morning here in Belgium, I could not sleep anymore.
It has been a real pleasure to meet you and all these kind people at the annual GM week-end.
I hope to see you again at the SCI show next January.
Bring a fiddle with you!

All the best,
Alain

 

[santos]

Bravo

Alain, this is a really beauty . The subject is very nice and your engraving is no far from perfection, I think.
I like the way you have played with lights and shadows.
Chapeau bas Monsieur Lovenberg .

Jean

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Alain

Thanks very much for sharing that. It's great to see the finished engraving/print.........Just brilliant!!!!

It was really interesting following your Grand Masters class on the internet via the GRS web site. Seeing all the different students progress plates and the way they differed from one another was really facinating to see. Fantastic.

The lady looks familiar.

Cheers
Andrew

P.S. James does a wonderful job of printing as well

 

[FANCYGUN]

Alain
Thank you for posting the print. All of us in the class were in constant awe watching this plate develope over the week as we tried to emulate what you were doing on our meager projects. It was indeed an hoor to study with you for the week and i know that my engraving will never be the same thanks to your inspiration and guidance. I will bring my finished plate to Reno to show you.
Marty

 

[Mike Cirelli]

Beautiful work. I hope to one day meet you and all the other talented artists at a Grand Masters event.

 

[John B.]

Alain,

It was a joy to see you again and to see your wonderful work while it was in process.
Many thanks for sharing this fine print with us.

John B.

 

[fegarex]

Alain,
Thanks for posting. I'm still wishing so much I could have been there the whole week. The plate was incredible! I was in awe just looking at it let alone spending a week learning how to do it.
See you in Reno!
Rex

 

[Ron Smith]

Wow! That printed nicely didn't it Alain? Was great to see you again, my friend. The work is beautiful!!

Rock on Buddy!!

Ron S

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Alain, this is a really beauty . The subject is very nice and your engraving is no far from perfection, I think.
I like the way you have played with lights and shadows.
Chapeau bas Monsieur Lovenberg .

Jean

Thank you Jean,
this engraving is executed by applying the principles of the " burin rangé".
It was the subject of the class that I held this year in the United States.
This method by lines, which was born in Europe (Germany,Belgium, Netherlands, France essentially), was practised during 400 years and is not any more used now except for bank notes and post stamps.
This kind of engraving differs from the drawing by the regular disposal of parallel and crossed lines.
It was called " le beau métier" in the old time in France

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Alain
Thank you for posting the print. All of us in the class were in constant awe watching this plate develope over the week as we tried to emulate what you were doing on our meager projects. It was indeed an hoor to study with you for the week and i know that my engraving will never be the same thanks to your inspiration and guidance. I will bring my finished plate to Reno to show you.
Marty

Hello Marty,

it was a great studious week in Emporia!
I'll be happy to see you and all the friends in Reno.
Yes, try to find the time to finish the plate, I would like to see it.
Alain

 

[Mike Bissell]

Alain

Thank you for posting the print from the plate you made at Emporia. I look forward to seeing you again in Reno.

Mike

 

[monk]

what's really nice in this work is the feeling or sense of emotion one seems to feel when looking at this. very few can make a graver produce feeling like this.

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

what's really nice in this work is the feeling or sense of emotion one seems to feel when looking at this. very few can make a graver produce feeling like this.

Monk,

I am happy that this picture, in a way, "speaks" to you.
I always try when I draw or engrave an image that it tells a kind of "story without words".
I know that the modern art critics scorn the anecdote in a painting or an engraving but it seems to me that, on the contrary, it is an essential part of the image. An abstract painting which tells nothing needs a lot of words and explanations in order to be (perhaps) understood and appreciated.
That's my personal opinion.

Alain

 

[KCSteve]

As the others have said, not only is the plate technically stunning, you've captured a precious moment of quiet joy. The print is a wonderful reminder of all of those quiet little moments that give life meaning.

 

[Roger Bleile]

...I know that the modern art critics scorn the anecdote in a painting or an engraving but it seems to me that, on the contrary, it is an essential part of the image. An abstract painting which tells nothing needs a lot of words and explanations in order to be (perhaps) understood and appreciated.
That's my personal opinion.

Alain

Alain,

You have expressed my feelings regarding modern art exactly!

There are modern art pieces that I like, especially in sculpture, because their shape is able to convey a sort of beauty in the same way scrollwork can convey an image of beauty, even though it is not exactly true to nature. However it is my opinion that abstract modern art is like the story of the emperor's new clothes. Everyone was afraid to say the emperor was naked because the cognoscenti said it was the ideal and anyone who disagreed was an unenlightened cretin.

For an in depth look at how modern art came to dominate the fine arts read "The Great 20th Century Art Scam" here at the Art Renewal Center: http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/Philosophy/philosophy1.asp#name

Sorry if I am stepping on the toes of any modern art aficionados out there but the subject of art is also the subject of strong opinions and now you know mine.


CRB, An unenlightened cretin traveling in the world of the arts.

 

[Doc Mark]

Roger,

Thanks for the link to the Art Renewal Center website! It's a fabulous site with great insight. I can say this with absolute certainty, because their philosophy matches mine exactly! He he! It is a good feeling to find that one is not alone in his artistic belief system. I too can accept many modern sculptural works as "true art" but I have extreme difficulty worshiping at the alter of abstractionism and many other modern "isms" that were crammed down my throat while studying art history in college. I was severely chastised by my art professor for admiring the "Academic Schools of Painting". They were beneath contempt to him and anyone who did not see that was a fool! Long live the fools!

Anyway, thanks for the great essay to read.

Mark

 

[Brian Hochstrat]

That website is really a good read, and now I have some understanding of why, I disliked art classes, both in college and high school. Art is was not the problem, but the smugness of the instructors and poor opinions of my efforts, which was realism and western, which compounded the dislike. And no I never excepted graffiti as art as one professor so enfadically defended. So I drudged through art in high school and never completed a class in college. I went it alone with books and my own ideas of what I thought was art, be it right or wrong. As I suppose others who felt the same also had to do. It is nice to see some of those forgotten masterpieces being brought back into the publics eye.

 

[Ken Hurst]

Alain ---- to hell with the art critics ! This piece is simply magnificent & I would like to buy a print. Please let us know when you will be offering them & put my name on the top of your list of orders. Ken