The current show is a departure for Martin Naarmann (Germany, b. 1946). With these latest prints, he takes on a whole new direction. Gone are the familiar subjects of the last few years — the landscapes, the animals and people of his peculiar world, the still lifes, the social commentaries. Instead, Naarmann now focuses on a more abstract set of compositions. He plays with shapes and textures, all variations on a theme, and he tries to fit and rotate the images in Rubik’s Cube fashion. The game is done basically within a limited palette and tonal effects. The result is truly a winning combination.
Intaglio printing can be a complicated process. The artist draws or cuts the design with tools and chemicals into a metal plate. The incisions are then filled with ink, and the plate is wiped clean. The paper is pressed against the plate to pick up ink from the scrapes or scratches. Naarmann prefers aluminum to copper or zinc for the plate, and he uses a steel needle directly on the surface without any nitric acid. The intaglio technique is not very practical for large numbers, and Naarmann limits his impressions to small editions.
Martin Naarmann was educated in Germany and France. He lived and worked in French Guyana and the Ivory Coast in the 1970s. Since the 1980s, he has lived and practiced printmaking in Chile, Guatemala and Mexico. His engravings are exhibited in Europe, Latin America and the United States.