Paul Landacre
October 22, 2008 by John Steins
Filed under Wood Engraving
I’m extremely fortunate to own this Paul Landacre wood engraving titled “Siesta’ which he made in the 1930′s. The image is quite large for this technique measuring 7.5 by 9 inches – the print quality is stunning.
I was so happy to have discovered him a few years ago, now he ranks as one of my favorite engravers. He spent most of his life in California where he produced a large volume of work dedicating himself entirely to wood engraving. As you can see Landacre is a master of cross-hatching allowing him to model shapes with all grades of shading. Of course, he’s not a ‘one trick pony’, his other work reveals a wide repertoire of engraving techniques. (click on image for enlargement)
I’ve included a detail of his cuts for those that might find it interesting.
One might argue that this approach is too mechanical although I wouldn’t agree – certainly that can’t be said about his draughtsmanship.
His flawless technique results in a beautiful balance between white and black.
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I also just discovered Landacre around the time you did, or early 2009. He’s great!
I have 7 Landacre pieces. I too have this one, but interestingly it is titled “Fiesta”, not “Siesta”. I have looked at the title with a magnifying glass to see if it was just a sloppy “S”, but it is definitely an “F”. This print is not numbered. It gives a whole new meaning to the image. Have you ever seen another Fiesta?
Jon
Hi Jon,
That’s great! When I first acquired it I looked high and low to see another copy, with little luck. Awhile ago I was contacted by an archivist who also has one but was titled Siesta. This is a beautiful engraving and I feel so lucky to have it. I believe Swann Galleries in NYC have recently auctioned one of these.
Thanks for letting me know there’s another Siesta or Fiesta out there. Wonder why they’re not numbered?