I saw a Martin Lewis etching years ago and was transfixed by the crisp contrast of its darks and lights and the easy moodiness it gave off. I knew nothing of the artist but it was obvious that he was masterful in his etching and in his artistic eye. I had largely forgotten this artist until I came across a group of his etchings that are coming up for auction. Seeing them rekindled that same feeling I felt years ago. Mainly images from New York in the 20’s and 30’s, they often capture a feeling of urban anonymity and isolation, mining the same vein of emotion in which Edward Hopper worked in his paintings. This is probably not a coincidence since Lewis and Hopper were friends, Lewis having taught Hopper the art of etching around 1915.
Martin Lewis was born in Australia in 1881 and ran away from home at age 15, working rough jobs for a few years as he travelled and sketched his way through Australia and New Zealand. He ended up in Sydney where he studied and did illustrations for a local newspaper. He migrated to the US around 1900, arriving in San Francisco where he painted backdrops for the presidential campaign of William McKinley before finding his way to New York City.
Inspired by the dynamism of the city at that time, Lewis worked as an illustrator and painter. It was a 1910 trip to England, where he was introduced to the printwork of English artists such as James MacNeil Whistler, that inspired him to take up etching. However, it was an 18 month stay in Japan in 1920 that set the groundwork for his signature work which captures light and air and mood so well. He was active and increasingly successful from 1925 until about 1935. However, the Great Depression brought a downturn to his popularity and by the 1940’s his work was out of favor. His work never really took hold after that and he died in 1961, largely unknown. In fact, just finding some of the details on his life for this short blog post took some doing.
I think his work is wonderful and evocative and find it amazing that his work ever fell out of favor. But such is the nature of art. But the etchings of Martin Lewis will persevere through the fickle cycles because they capture something elemental and personal. And that is what real art does.
These etchings are indeed masterful, as you say. It’s not an easy task to achieve such variations of tone in an etching. Thanks for posting.
I think seeing them as a group ( and there were so many more that would easily fit in ) really reinforces what a master Lewis was. Just beautiful stuff.
On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 11:48 AM, Redtree Times wrote:
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They’re wonderful – what a treasure. The Hopper influence is clear, but there are other echoes. In the one with the boys gathered around the fire, the tree outlined against the lighted building reminds me of Steichen’s Flatiron Building.
On the other hand, those backlit women on the street are remarkable. I’ve never seen anything quite like that.
The one with the backlit women is “Shadow Dance” which I believe brought the highest price for his work at auction, deservedly so. There were so many more prints from Lewis that I could have included here but these are some of my favorites.
On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 8:41 PM, Redtree Times wrote:
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If you hadn’t told me these were etchings, I would have thought they were airbrushed with dry brush work and pen for details. And speaking of details, the level of detail on these is amazing. The compositions are striking, and the use of light and shadow is dramatic and masterful. It’s a toss-up between the lady on the fire escape and the Model T in the snow as to which is my favorite.
Yes, that one with the car in the snow is remarkable. I like seeing your two favorites together on the screen. Those two alone would be enough to sum up the brilliance of Lewis’ work.
On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 9:10 PM, Redtree Times wrote:
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What is the title of the print above The Little Penthouse that depicts the people around the fire?
The last image is a lithograph by Stow Wengenroth not Martin Lewis etching.
Thank you. I took it from a site that attributed it to Lewis but I do see the signature now. My mistake.