82.39 St. Olav (Helgen)

1954

Metal print, 25 3/8 x 20 1/2" (64.8 x 50.7 cm)

Singed, lr: Rolf Nesch; ll: 7/8 Selvtrykk; lm: Helgen 1954

Exhib: "Rolf Nesch: Metal Prints," Serigraph Galleries, November 2-15, 1954, nr. 47

Provenance: Serigraph Galleries, New York, 1954

“Helgen” means “saint” in Norwegian; St. Olav is the patron saint of Norway. Nesch’s typical technique is fully evident here: the inclusion of metal screen, the use of torn paper, and the interest in the textural aspect of the print. “Selvtrykk” is the Norwegian term for “hand=printed,” alluding to another essential aspect of Nesch’s methods. In their whimsical effect, Hesch’s images are reminiscent of Paul Klee’s magical and intuitive visions. In his use of actual object to construct a composition, Nesch is also linked to the great Merz creator, Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948), who had also fled to Norway in the 1940s.

Musicians in the act of playing were a favorite subject for Nesch. In 1931, for example, he created a series of 24 etchings depicting musicians with their various instruments. As is obvious in this work, Nesch’s concern in many of these prints was for the rhythmic patterns that such figures and objects created, and the possibilities these objects afforded him for the visual representation of musical abstraction.

Here Nesch’s ability to create deep relief in his prints appears most effectively. The placement of a metal grid of regularly spaced circular forms creates the body of the young horse; its mane is metal gauze impressed and inked into the print’s surface. “Proevetrykk” means a trial print, the first stages for a potentially larger run of the same image.