02/07/2023
By definition, art history is a timeline of cause and effect. For five decades, Landfall Press and the vision of Jack Lemon recognized and acted upon relationships and resources to produce some of the most iconic fine prints ever produced. The artists Jack Lemon chose to print and publish defined the “contemporary” of the 1970’s, 80’s, 90’s, and on into the new millennium. Those choices often included a nod to the traditions of Western art history, namely figuration. With the recent passing of Philip Pearlstein (1924-2022) and Alfred Leslie (1927-2023) these two giants of figuration have received posthumous accolades for their unique approach to the figure. Both artists were trained in the classic academic tradition of working from the model. This practice was known as “life drawing” and became the foundation for their extraordinary paintings. The figure came to life as each artist’s poetic approach defined figurative painting and drawing throughout their long careers.
Both artists discovered their true potential as makers of prints when they collaborated with Jack Lemon and Landfall Press. The lithographs that both artists produced in the 70’s and 80’s stand as the epitome of crayon-on-stone lithography. Pearlstein’s 25 year collaboration with Jack Lemon, started in 1970. Together they explored color lithography and produced prints that define the entire range of lithographic processes. Alfred Leslie made a series of three portraits in 1974, all drawn on stone and printed in black ink on white paper. The simplicity and direct quality of those images are a textbook of draughtsmanship and the tonal range that stone lithography was meant for. Once again, the prints made at Landfall Press are considered both artist’s best printed works.
Pearlstein and Leslie’s prints are featured in the traveling exhibition Landfall Press: Five Decades of Printmaking currently on view at the Knoxville Museum of Art through April 30, 2023.
