Alisha Bunting

ART206: Printmaking
Mary Proenza

Take-Home Midterm Exam

The work of art I chose to look at was created by Vija Celmins who was born October
25th, 1938. The work of art that I examined by Celmins was Ocean Surface (2000, Wood
Engraving). The work of art was about 12X18.
This print was made by carving the wood block. Celmins uses very intricate crosscutting.
Her crosscutting allows her to get the various textures and shades we see in the print. The print
also has a unique level of realism within it. It looks as if the waves are actually in motion with
light reflecting off of them.
After reading the placard beside Ocean Surface, I was able to get a sense of the
relationship between content and form. Celmins recycled and repurposed a large portion of her
works. Many of them were images she had photographed of natural environments. This
particular one was reworked from photographs she had taken of the ocean. The placard also says
that she isnt directly recycling them but alters them somehow when changing the medium.
The natural relationship also exists here because while she is creating an image of a
natural setting, the work is produced on a piece of wood. Wood comes from the Earth which is
also within the natural environment. Not only is there this natural connection, but Celmins had to

use her natural hands to intimately carve every single detail. This connection is very evident
within her work.
This print applies to my print making work by how I have worked on a wood engraving
as well. I understand the connection between her content and form because she had to spend a
large amount of time carving her works just like I had to as well. Her work is more intricate than
mine but, I hope to take my work in this direction. My later pieces, I want to have more textures
and experiment with different cutting styles.
Celmins is a far more advanced artist than I am and my work will not even compare. I
also would like to develop a higher level of realism within my next pieces. Additionally, I hope
to build a stronger connection between content and form, as is shown with Ocean Surface.