Literature

In her edition On Target with Durham Press, Polly Apfelbaum has seized upon the graphic power of fundamental geometric shapes, creating distilled compositions that explore the possibilities of elemental color schemes. Printed as woodblock reliefs, On Target features precise concentric circles overlaid on a square inked in an expanded chromatic scale developed specifically for Apfelbaum’s work. This portfolio was created alongside Sun Targets, editions which feature the same target motif but of a very different scale at over four times the size.

On Target is comprised of six works, each presented on twenty-five inch squared handmade Japanese paper. The entire portfolio was produced with the same eight woodblocks, the largest of which – the square background – appears the same shade of deep midnight blue across the suite. Rendered with crisp lines and flat colors, the prints are precise and clear but far from mechanical; the paper’s varied texture and rough edges lend them a decidedly human touch. Within the circles, Apfelbaum takes the viewer on short walks around the color wheel, moving through it in measured, clockwise or counterclockwise steps. Depending on whether the eye travels inward or outward, the works provide contrasting impressions of form and movement. They seem to be concave or convex, to expand or contract, or to lead us on a journey of descent or ascent—like Divine Comedy in polychrome.

The chromatic scale developed for Apfelbaum extends the complete color spectrum by expanding each color into five different hues. Each hue has an equal change between them, included between the colors themselves to create a looping gradation of colors. The six prints are linked by this scale within its outer five rings – the first print moves from green to orange, with the second print starting its outer ring with the same orange the first finished with, a pattern that continues throughout the prints. This systematic use of color creates a portfolio of prints that at first appear disparate in color but are in fact inherently tied together.

On Target is an edition of 25 and is available directly through Durham Press. For more information about this new series or Apfelbaum’s many other prints, please contact us at sales@durhampress.com..