Elizabeth Harington
Etchings on J.S. Bach
THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER (BWV 858-868)
Portfolio of 24 prints edition # 1 - 12

Elizabeth Harington presents a Major Art & Music Portfolio 24 Colored Etchings on the Interpretations of J.S. Bach's music.

On January 25th 1997, Elizabeth Harington released the most extraordinary eight year achievement in the field of Fine Art etchings. A substantial collection from Bach's The Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1 (BWV 846-869)is available for the first time in a limited edition. The portfolio features 24 etchings, Preludes and Fugues (BWV 858-869), that are as varied and different as the elements that make up the superbly integrated musical pieces it accompanies.

The edition of 12 copies are numbered and signed on Magnani Italia 28" X 40" paper. The portfolio, Gothic in scope, is colossal for the grandeur of its look, encased in a blue linen box, hinged with black linen and holding 24 prints with their respective interpretive comments. Multiple layers of aquatints create illusions of space and abstraction reminiscent of the Baroque style of Bach's compositions and the visual arts of the time.

Johann Sebastian Bach composed this first book of The Well-tempered Clavier, Preludes and Fugues , during a period when time hung heavily on his hands and where for a short time the Court made a small clavier available for his use. These Preludes and Fugues (BWV 846-869) were written for the 12 equal semitones of the scale, in both the major and minor keys to celebrate the victory to the musical world of the system of "tempered" tuning.

Born of British parents in South Africa, Harington has worked as an artist, teacher and printmaker most of her life. She relocated to the United States in 1978 and became affiliated with the Printmaking Workshop. Harington has shown internationally and is presented in many prominent collections. She is also a recipient of many awards including a Gottlieb Foundation Grant in 1992 and in 1991 and 1995 a Pollock-Krasner Award.

The serial approach to printmaking lends itself to the birth of a theme, where the entire series is considered a single work. These prints are Elizabeth Harington's personal journey into the visualization of Bach's musical score and her professional consideration for printmaking is to assist with rendering these ideas. These 24 prints embellish a musical experience, so that the memory of sound remains linked to an aesthetic form.

A complete list of the prints is attached. Biographical notes and photographs are available upon request.

Printing
Aleksandar Duravcevic/Printmaking Workshop

Typesetter
Jerry Kelly/Jerry Kelly Associates

Lithography
Judith Solokin/Solo Press

Box Binding
James DiMarcantonio/Hope Bindery

For further information, or to arrange a viewing in New York, please contact Colophon Page

jhw@interport.net
tel. 212 724 3443
fax 212 724 7690