Print of the Day!! Tues, Oct 10, 2023. "The Dragon Ship" by John Taylor Arms (1887-1953).

Print of the Day!! Tuesday, October 10, 2023 is by American master printmaker John Taylor Arms (1887-1953). Check out our on-line exhibition at: OnPaper.art: https://onpaper.art/the-annex-galleries ?

"The Dragon Ship" is an intaglio, an etching and aquatint printed in color, done in 1922. The platemark measures 12-7/8 x 10 inches. This third state impression is pencil signed by the artist in the lower margin. The plate was printed in three states by the artist and Master Printer Frederick Reynolds in an edition of 150 in the second state, plus 17 various proofs of all 3 states, including seven impressions of state one and two and 10 impressions of state three, printed in black and white. This impression is printed on a sheet of wove ivory simili Japon paper that measures 19-1/8 x14-1/8 inches. References include: Fletcher 121 iii/iii; Arms 123; Ship Series #2; Library of Congress 91. The gallery inventory number for this work is 24635.

This scarce color intaglio by John Taylor Arms is available from the gallery. Contact the gallery with any questions you might have, including condition. Shipping costs will be discussed. California residents will have sales tax added. Out of state residents may be responsible for use tax, depending on state law.

Arms was less known for his color work and rarely pursued it in his etchings, favoring the contrast and detail of black and white. However, Arms briefly embarked on a series of color etchings dedicated to the ships throughout time and the world, though he only completed seven images in total but, as is evident in this work, he was equally adept at the subtleties found in hues as he was in tonality.

"Dragon Ship", from his Ship Series begun in 1921, is image No. 2 from a set of seven color etchings he completed before returning once more to architecture. Its title refers to a particular type of Norse longship, called the dragon-ship, or the drakuskippen, a Viking vessel that was used in both commerce and warfare. Unlike Arms' "American Clipper Ship" or "Metis", whose execution was nearly technical in presentation, this ship is seen from an unusual prow-first angle as it approaches the viewer, circled by gulls and contrasted against a clear blue sky. The effect is less technical and more adventurous, as if to illustrate a Scandinavian folktale.

Dragon-ships, called such for the carved dragon heads at the prow, were built and owned by coastal farmers, who cared for the ships through all weather and kept them at the ready for the king, who could assemble a leidang, or fleet of fighting ships, at any time - whether in warfare or with the aim of plundering or colonization. They were deployed as far away as coastal Africa. It is no wonder why the dragon-headed Viking ship has remained an object of mystery and fascination to this day.

John Taylor Arms, printmaker, lecturer, illustrator, and administrator, was born in Washington, D.C. on 19 April 1887. He first studied law at Princeton University but transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study architecture, earning a Master's Degree in 1912. He studied with Ross Turner, David A. Gregg, and Felton Brown. For five years after his graduation Arms worked for the architectural firm Carrere and Hastings, before establishing his own architectural firm of which he was a partner.

A gift of an etching kit from his wife, Dorothy, changed the course of his life. He produced his first etching in 1915 and he eventually produced 441 prints, mostly etchings. Arms became one of the most famous printmakers of the first half of the twentieth century. He is mostly noted for his etchings of medieval architecture but early subjects also included ships, sailboats, airplanes, rural landscapes, and the streets, buildings, and bridges of New York.

Arms' exhibition history was lengthy beginning in 1927 and continuing to 1952. He authored 'Hand-Book of Print Making and Print Makers' in 1934 and illustrated 'Churches of France' and 'Hill Towns and Cities of Northern Italy' by his wife, Dorothy Noyes Arms. His work can be found in most major collections of American prints.

Arms was an activist for printmaking and assisted in assembling exhibitions of American graphic art that were shown in Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Rome; he was editor of the Print Department of Print, A Quarterly Journal of the Graphic Arts, and he lectured on the techniques, history and value of original prints. Arms also served as the president of the Tiffany Foundation in 1940. John Taylor Arms died in New York City on 15 October 1953.

To purchase this work, see other works, or read a biography for John Taylor Arms use this link to our website: https://www.annexgalleries.com/inventory/artist/80/Arms/John

Use this link to view our complete inventory on our website: https://www.annexgalleries.com/inventory?q=