Triumphs and Laments Woodcuts: Mantegna

Artist. William Kentridge Title. Mantegna Date. 2016-2017 Dimensions. 195 x 199 cm Edition. 12 Medium. Relief, printed from 13 woodblocks and one linoleum block on Somerset Velvet, Soft White, 300 gsm Final work comprised of 21 individual sheets adhered by 37 aluminum pins

Triumphs and Laments Woodcuts: Mantegna

William Kentridge

David Krut Workshop (DKW)

The Making of Mantegna

In early 2016 William Kentridge was at work on a monumental frieze to be installed along the banks of Rome’s Tiber River in April of the same year. The 550 meter work would be stenciled onto the wall of the river from Ponte Sisto to Ponte Mazzini. It would be called Triumphs and Laments and would consist of scenes from the cultural and political history of Rome from drawings that Kentridge had been preparing in his studio in Johannesburg for a number of years.

In January 2016 Kentridge also began discussions with a long-time collaborator, Master Printer Jillian Ross of David Krut Workshop (DKW), about using these drawings as the basis for a series of large woodcut prints. Ross and her assistants Sbongiseni Khulu and Chad Cordeiro began extensive tests on a grouping of three figures from the frieze as this would be their first woodcut project with Kentridge. The image chosen for Mantegna is based on a group of nine paintings entitled the Triumphs of Caesar (1484–1492) by Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506). The sixth panel of the Mantegna series, Corselet Bearers, would form the main point of reference for the first woodcut in the Kentridge series. The finished print is two metres square and is printed from 13 woodblocks and one linoleum block. It is comprised of 21 sheets adhered by 37 aluminum pins.

The sixth panel of the Mantegna series, Corselet Bearers

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Detail from the Triumphs and Laments frieze installed along the banks of Rome’s Tiber River, April 2016

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The drawing of Mantegna by Kentridge, February 2016

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Experiments with Wood

The arduous process of recreating the Kentridge drawing in wood presented the printing team at DKW with a unique set of technical challenges. Ross wanted to experiment with multiple wood types to achieve a variety in woodgrain and printed mark. Before settling on the size of the work, the printers tested a wide range of papers and timbers. Wood expert Alan Epstein assisted them by building woodblocks from multiple timbers, using thick veneers from the middle sections of the tree and reinforcing the blocks to prevent warping.

Ross advised her team of carvers to experiment as much as possible with different tools and mark making ‘to allow for potentially strange and surprising results to emerge in order to help fully appreciate the possibilities of the material.’

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Drawing and Scale

The first step in the process was to decide on the size of the image. This required careful deliberation as it would determine the scale and feasibility of the entire series. Given that the reference images of the frieze along the Tiber River are ten metres high, the DKW team decided to push the boundaries of the woodcut medium and work as large as possible.

Kentridge thus produced a drawing of two square metres from which the printers would work. Since the printing press would not accommodate this size, it was decided that the print would have to be an assemblage of paper sheets that would fit together like a puzzle.

Paper

Traditionally, woodcuts are printed on thin Japanese paper upon which the grain of the wood can be exposed with relative ease. Kentridge’s initial drawing was done on Hahnemühle—a thick paper traditionally used to print etchings—that proved too soft and malleable for an assembled print.

Three hundred gram Somerset Velvet, Soft White paper was selected for its rigidity and overlaying possibilities. Once this was decided, the question then became how to create the woodblocks to suit the images.

Woodgrain

Many types of wood were chosen for their grain effects as well as their density. Soft woods produced dark sections in printed form and allowed for easier carving, while more heavilygrained hard woods allowed for expressive gesture in both the carved mark and the printed sections. An integral design element is found in the angles of both the blocks and the paper as well as in the gestural features of the figures. Working closely with Kentridge, the printers discussed and elaborated multiple printing options. The blocks were created section by section, week by week, to allow for an understanding of the printed result.

The woods selected were Panga Panga, Ash, Poplar, and Maple. Panga Panga and Ash are both heavily-grained, dense woods whilst Poplar and Maple are lesser-grained woods. Sections of Ash were used to accentuate gesture in the faces of the figures, dissecting them at angles, while Maple and Poplar allowed moments of soft, subtle blacks.

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Carving

Using the guidelines that Kentridge provided, the carvers set about recreating the artist’s vision for the woodcut. Carvers were asked to rotate the blocks between them every three minutes when carving to prevent a particular carver’s mark becoming dominant, and they were instructed to follow the angles provided by Kentridge in drawn form or the angles found in the woodblocks themselves.

There are 21 sheets of paper in the final Mantegna print. All were printed from four types of wood timbers. The DKW team worked to ensure no technical restrictions existed to limit the artist’s working process as some sheets were cut at sharp angles, others torn. Pieces were also attached to the work by Kentridge in the last stages of production and allowed for overlaps of image and movement.

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Assembly

Pins were used for the final assembly of the work and to ensure that each sheet rests correctly on top of the next. Guidelines were provided on a map made on acetate and in an instruction manual.

The final result makes reference to the reverse graffiti technique used in Triumphs and Laments. In the frieze the erased biological patina from the natural stone wall eventually comes through into the image, and in the print the natural grain of each wood timber is an important part of the work.

Mantegna was produced over eight weeks from 16 February to 4 April 2016. The collaborators were Master Printer Jillian Ross; carvers and printers Sbongiseni Khulu and Chad Cordeiro, with assistance from Nathaniel Sheppard III; and wood expert Alan Epstein.

In 2016 Mantegna was exhibited at 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York, David Krut Projects in New York, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London, and the FNB Joburg Art Fair.

The final print of Mantegna, April 2016

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William Kentridge Mantegna, 2016-2017

Medium. Relief, printed from 13 woodblocks and one linoleum block on Somerset Velvet, Soft White, 300 gsm Final work comprised of 21 individual sheets adhered by 37 aluminum pins Wood used. Panga Panga, Ash, Poplar, and Maple Dimensions. 195 x 199 cm (edges irregular) Edition. 12

Signed bottom right, piece #2 Numbered and chop mark bottom left, piece #8

Published by David Krut Printed at David Krut Workshop (DKW) Printers: Master Printer Jillian Ross, Sbongiseni Khulu, Chad Cordeiro, Nathaniel Sheppard III Production Assistants: Neo Mahlasela (carving), Alan Epstein (carpentry), Kim-Lee Loggenberg (post-production)

For queries contact Jillian Ross jill@davidkrut.com

www.davidkrut.com

David Krut Projects New York 526 West 26th Street, #816 Chelsea, New York +1 212 255 3094 info@davidkrut.com

David Krut Projects 142A Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood, Johannesburg +27 (0)11 447 0627 info-jhb@davidkrut.com

David Krut Workshop (DKW) Arts on Main, 264 Fox Street, City and Suburban, Johannesburg +27 (0)11 334 1209 aom@davidkrut.com

David Krut Projects, Cape Town Montebello Design Centre, 31 Newlands Avenue, Cape Town +27 (0)21 685 0676 dkct@davidkrut.com

David Krut Workshop (DKW)