REFLECTIONS ON SOUND, MONOTYPES
In 2015 I relocated my art studio from Brooklyn, NY, along with a very heavy Charles Brand etching press to Orcas Island, Washington. From the very beginning I was overtaken by the beauty of the San Juan Islands. That feeling hasn’t diminished and likely never will. When I began working in my new studio, I wanted to do something related to my experiences of being in and around these magical Islands and immediately began exploring this environment through the monotype medium.
After many years working with a rather controlled and technically challenging process of intaglio, in particular mezzotint printing, I was moved to add a more painterly and colorful way of working through ideas given a new and direct relationship with the pristine environment that now surrounded me. I found in monotype printing the perfect medium to portray these feelings in a spontaneous manner and began a series entitled “Reflections on Sound.”
Monotypes are unique singular prints where the image is created by the application of inks and transferred to paper from the matrix (I use plexiglass) using the etching press. Working in this medium is an exhilarating experience since I can’t anticipate the detailed outcome until the print is pulled. This forces me to “let go” of the control maintained in the mezzotint medium, and instead appreciate how the original intention is transformed, sometimes adding new unexpected elements. The outcome blurs the boundary between original intent and result.
Many days I’d take a trail walk and afterwards go back to the studio to pour my experiences into a one-of-a-kind monotype. I’d work spontaneously using a minimum amount of tools. These walks in nature along with my observations of many natural wonders as well as the night sky on Orcas Island, and being surrounded as we are by the Salish Sea, have been my inspiration for this series of monotypes, as well as having greatly added to my appreciation for the natural world.
Eduardo Fausti, 2024
FIRMAMENTO
When Il Bisonte Foundation’s Director, Simone Guaita, invited me to exhibit work at their Galleria di Grafica d’Arte in Florence, Italy, several ideas came to mind, but one prevailed over all others. I wanted to create a show connected to Florence, the city where I learned much about art. My inspiration came from one of its greatest minds: Galileo Galilei.
Since my youth, I have been fascinated by the night sky. After reading about Galileo’s life and his groundbreaking work in astronomy and discovery, I decided to dedicate this exhibition to his memory. Years ago, while studying in Florence at SACI (Studio Art College International), I often visited the Museo Galileo. My very first print at SACI took Galileo as its subject. Later, after reading Dava Sobel’s Galileo’s Daughter, I visited Galileo’s grave at the Basilica of Santa Croce, where he now rests with Celeste in the same tomb. That visit gave the experience a deeper personal meaning. From this moment, the Firmamento series began to take shape.
The first group of prints was directly related to Galileo. One mezzotint represents him as a young, highly intelligent visionary scientist and astronomer, from Ottavio Leoni’s 17th-century portrait, distinguished by its depiction of Galileo in his doctoral robes (Biblioteca Marucelliana, Florence). Other prints depict the starry night skies of Arcetri, a familiar view for Galileo during his final years in reclusion; Jupiter with its four orbiting moons (the first observations he made with his telescope); and the rings of Saturn, also discovered by him. The remaining works explore Jupiter’s moons in ways perhaps only Galileo might have imagined, along with night skies he might have revealed had he lived another lifetime.
My intention was to use Galileo’s discoveries and vision as a point of departure for depicting the heavens. To that end, I carefully studied the granulated textures of images of celestial bodies and the dark voids of space, many of them made familiar to us in recent decades through advanced telescopes. I also sought to metaphorically extend Galileo’s legacy into our own time, relating his contribution to images from the Galileo Spacecraft and the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope. To provide a fuller context, I included portraits of two earlier heliocentric thinkers: Nicolaus Copernicus (15th–16th century) and Aristarchus of Samos (3rd century BCE).
Finally, I wrote a poem—letterpress printed— inspired by my own observations of the heavens, to accompany the mezzotints. This process, which allows for a wide range of luminous light and velvety dark tones, seemed a fitting way to evoke the night sky while referencing Galileo’s extraordinary contributions to science and discovery, as well as his bold recognition that humanity is not at the center of the universe.
Even after the exhibition, I have continued to expand the Firmamento series with new imagery inspired by my enduring fascination with the heavens.
Eduardo Fausti, 2023
FIRMAMENTO. THE CELESTIAL JOURNEY IN EDUARDO FAUSTI’S MEZZOTINT
Still black
comes - or is it deception? -
an opaque whisper - whisper
Of seeds sown,
of dark grains
Already in labor or future,
of voices untold
but close to the vociferousness of the day.
(Mario Luzi)
Humans have always observed the universe around them. However, in science, as in art, it is not enough to look, what counts is the eye with which one observes. And Galileo’s eye is, without doubt, “the most noble eye that nature has ever created.”¹ It is therefore not surprising that a master of mezzotint such as Eduardo Fausti had a predilection for the work of the great Pisan scientist, which arose when, still a young artist, he spent the last undergraduate semester at SACI (Studio Art College International) in Florence, Italy. In this city, maker of brilliant minds and a cradle of great discoveries in the most varied of fields, Fausti retraced the places where Galileo had lived, as if wanting to capture the gaze from which the intuition of the Cosmos originated. “Directing my gaze to further luster, the ephemeral dance vanishes from my view, only to reveal the most distant stars,” writes Fausti in his poetic composition Firmamento which gives its name to his solo exhibition, held at Il Bisonte Art Gallery since 9 November to 1 December 2023.
From the window of Galileo’s historic home, on Arcetri’s hillside in Florence, the artist’s gaze mixes with that of the scientist. Imbued with curiosity, courage and profound faith in the power of reason and direct observation of reality, for the first time in history reason rises above the horizon to frame the world through the black grain of the sky.
In his portraits of the celestial vault, Fausti brings to mind the myths and legends that gave their names to those stars “I see embroidered in northern latitudes, eternal constellations of princesses, brave heroes and celestial kings,”² showing all the beauty of the scientific discoveries that have shaped our understanding of the universe. Each piece of art thus becomes a bridge connecting past with present, intertwining the footsteps of antiquity with the technological advances of our time.
In the accurate representations of the planets in the solar system, and the satellites that orbit them, Fausti captures, with exquisite detail, the suffused atmosphere of Jupiter, the swirling bands of Saturn’s rings and the harsh contrasts of light and shadow which characterizes Venus, the only celestial body to be illustrated using the drypoint technique. The meticulous and granular depictions of the Sun and Sunspots, from which the scientist deduced that our star must rotate on its axis with uniform speed, describe the wonder of celestial mechanics.
To act as a counterpoint to this golden splendor, the artist dedicates two representations to the mysterious charm of the Moon. In Crescent Moon, Fausti investigates the phenomenon of “Ashen Glow” - already intuited by Leonardo da Vinci in the Leicester Codex, and then more exhaustively explained by Galileo - emphasizing on the one hand the harsh topography of the craters shrouded in shadow in sharp contrast with the thin segment of light reflected by the Earth, which delimits and focuses on what surrounds it. To use the words of the scientist himself, «[...] la Terra, grata, rende alla Luna luce pari a quella che essa stessa dalla Luna riceve per quasi tutto il tempo nelle tenebre più profonde della notte,»³ as if they were mirrors of each other.
The artist’s vision moves away and expands in the representation of comets, sharp and luminous points wrapped in a veil of stardust, which cross the celestial vault and rekindle unexpressed desires in the spectator who observes them.
Lastly, the series dedicated to the Galileo Probe and the James Webb Space Telescope represents a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation. These modern marvels of engineering are depicted with the same poetic reverence as the celestial phenomena previously observed by Galileo. From the image of Talus, the protector and gift of Zeus to Europa, suspended between heaven and earth, to the honeycomb structure of the telescope’s segmented mirrors, which reflect the constellations, and the precise reproduction of the Galileo Probe, which seems to dance in the firmament surrounded by stars, Fausti’s artworks thus take the form of an elegy of modernity, emphasizing the continuity of human curiosity and genius, from the past to the present.
In the entanglement of signs of his mezzotints, the artist thus celebrates the fusionbetween the hard sciences, such as Astronomy, and the soft sciences, such as Art, promoting a dialogic relationship between disciplines and an integrated vision of man within the cosmos. By moving the human being from the center of the universe and returning to imagining him as a small part of it, Eduardo Fausti’s art thus promotes that same change of perspective implemented by Galileo, essential, today as in the past, to generate new processes of knowledge.
Silvia Bellotti
Curator, Fondazione Il Bisonte
Firmamento Exhibition Catalog, 2023
__________
1 Benedetto Castelli. Alcuni opuscoli filosofici. Bologna, Giacomo Monti, 1669
2 Eduardo Fausti, Firmamento
3 «[...]The Earth, grateful, gives the Moon light equal to that which it itself receives from the Moon almost all the time in the deepest darkness of the night.» Galileo Galilei, Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo, 1632
IMPERMANENCE MEZZOTINTS/PHOTOGRAVURES
These mezzotints focus on portraits of buddhists novices and monks encountered during my travels throughtout Southeast Asia. From Bagan (Burma) to Luang Prabang (Laos) and further south to the views of the Mekong River Valley, the region is full of warmhearted and friendly locals. Golden-tipped pagodas and humble monasteries dot the lands of this diverse region.
Several patches of this beautiful geography are hunted by the many conflicts of its past, some ancient and others more recent such as the killing fields and still-present land mines. They are authentic and powerful reminders of the lingering impact and cost of war.
Whatever you look in this part of the world there is ample evidence of the inevitable changing nature of things. One finds sophisticated art resulting from overlapping of different ancient cultures. The passage of time and the advance of nature were not the only factors shaping centuries of cultural and architectural history in this region.
There is no more clear evidence of the past than that which is found in ancient architecture. Morning mist moves over and blankets the land; temples and pagodas slowly come into view as dawn breaks and the mist clears. Their presence reveals their architectural fragility and almost melancholic yearning for that which once was. With the splendor of their past magnificence now long gone, it’s a telling reminder of our impermanence..
Traveling from village to village some of my most touching experiences were the frequent encounters with locals. One example was how common it was to see and sometimes speak to novices and monks dressed in their yellow and saffron robes walking barefoot. At times there were but a handful walking down narrow streets; at other times, it was a virtual pilgrimage in the hundreds. As they approach their presence would often create a sense of calm. Without contradiction they engender a reverence in their communities which, like our own, are nonetheless subject to the impermanent nature of life. Their devotion and dedication to a non-atheistic way of life is an inspiration. Their humility represents not only these principles, but also serves as voices for social change and political freedom.
While these mezzotints focus on portraits of Buddhist novices and monks, the photogravures provide the physical context and environment in which they live.
I represent these figures as I saw them in their daily lives: both young and old, some with distinct features while others appear luminescent and soft as if dissolving into thin air. Over time it’s not hard to identify yourself with the values inherent in the daily practices of these ascetics monks— in that perceived reality is in a constant state of flux, both changing and changeless. Beyond their daily practice I hope to convey with their portraits not just their innate sense of calmness but also their humanity. We all share this life and are all likewise subject to its fleeting moments.
Eduardo Fausti
Impermanence Exhibition Catalog, 2011
ERASING TO REMEMBER by Carol Wax
The prints of Eduardo Fausti are a sublime marriage of process and concept in which the mezzotint technique inspires as well as supports his imagery.
Mezzotint is a reductive form of engraving, similar to the method of drawing in which a white sheet of paper is blackened with charcoal and the image is “drawn” with an eraser. In mezzotint, a curved serrated tool, called a rocker, systematically plows up a textured field of burrs on a copper plate that holds ink to print a solid tone. Shaving down or compressing the burrs erases the ground in increments to create an image with infinitely subtle gradations from solid black to pure white where the ground is removed completely. In this way, what one sees as the image is what has been rubbed out or taken away.
The portraits in Eduardo Fausti’s prints are of people from cultures that are slowly being rubbed out of existence in the wake of societal changes. Their soft, almost out-of-focus faces are rendered as ghostly remnants looming in the mist, their eroded textures visible but just barely. In some images, faceless silhouettes remind us that something is missing and must be missed.
While many mezzotint engravers use the medium’s ability to render dramatic lighting effects to make bold statements, Fausti’s prints of Buddhist monks use delicate mark making, nuance, and suggestion to evoke a spiritual atmosphere. There is a Zen-like quality in his approach to subject as well as to technique, in that both mezzotint and a monk’s life require strength and submission to process.
In his photogravures, a photo-based etching technique, Fausti’s images capture a sense of place, and document a time that is passing or has passed. On the other hand, his hand-engraved mezzotints reflect on place and time and don’t just record but interpret: they are both timely and timeless.
In choosing to immortalize dying cultures through an engraving technique that was considered dead for generations, Fausti makes the medium the message. In much the same way mezzotint has been experiencing a rebirth, perhaps Fausti offers hope for his subjects that what is lost is not forgotten. Eduardo Fausti’s mezzotints are like a Buddhist’s enigmatic koan in that what he has removed from the plate is what he beckons us to remember.
Carol Wax
Impermanence Exhibition Catalog, 2011
AGELESS
On afternoon walking on a narrow street in Shanghai, I passed two elderly women. They were walking arm-in-arm. One of them called my attention. As we grew closer she fixed her sharp gaze on me. The look was warm yet serious. There was a motherly presence in her expression. Perhaps I was prone to notice this look as my mother had passed away only a few months earlier.
Before I turned the corner, I walked back towards the slow walking couple. I pointed my camera at them carefully and in plain sight to gauge their reaction at being photographed. To my surprised, the women stopped walking and with a kind of pride posed to allow me to take the shot.
For a while one of the women’s faces kept haunting me. Back in my studio in New York, I was compelled to recreate that face. I never knew her name nor anything about her life. Lú Qing (Clair) as I named her was the first mezzotint of what later became a series of elderly women portraits.
I asked friends for photos of their mothers and grandmothers. I met and sketched some of the elderly women in person. Others, who have long since passed away, I learned about through photos and stories written by family members. Their journeys are testaments to their simple yet extraordinary lives.
I tried to capture in their faces a long life of personal achievements with dignified and almost unemotional expressions. I saw in them a common denominator of other women’s faces from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. My intention, as well, was to represent these so-called ordinary and unknown women as ageless figures and reflect in them a sense of pride and importance to which only their peers and family would otherwise be privy.
Eduardo Fausti, Ageless Exhibition Catalog, 2010
JOHN MORRELL ESSAY ON AGELESS EXHIBITION
I first saw Eduardo Fausti’s prints while coordinating “The Artists’ Choice,” at New York’s Atlantic Gallery 2007. When Eduardo asked me to comment on his work for the current exhibition, I was honored. Eduardo’s portraits are extraordinary; both for their close observation and for his skillful handling of the mezzotint chosen to express and honor the human presence he evokes.
The portraits are done on richly tinted 10-1/2” x 12-1/2” paper. Mezzotint’s ‘golden age” in 18th century England saw the prints promoting, and providing a lower-cost alternative to grander painted portraits. Group of prints were sold bode as keepsakes. We see these portraits not bound, but in an art space. We know them not as famous, but as mothers and grandmothers of the artis’s friends, as the women who raised us all. The rich lined surface of their faces invites witness to their lives. Each subject’s name is written in the language of the culture in which they are know to the artist.
A biographical remembrance accompanies each portrait but two: Lú Qing (Clair); and Fajr (Dawn), a veiled Afghan woman. These provide a capstone of quiet dignity and, quite literally, a carefully recorded veiled presence that still retains the power to move us.
The mezzotint medium provides wide tonality with rich blacks, giving Fausti’s portraits great presence and depth. Each depicts a range of visual characteristics unique to each subject as a person, and as a carrier of cultural tradition. The labor intensive mezzotint process is analogous to the long, often difficult lives of these women.
But the process alone does not explain their strength. Fausti’s drawing, sensitivity to edge, attention to surface patterns on each face and subtle details on clothing and jewelry, involve us in reading their lives, as we read each print’s surface. Fausti engages us while going beyond a physical likeness or stereotype of beauty, much as we go through life itself: reading others’ faces for meaning, evaluating character.
I recommend living with the images before reading the text. Create your own narrative about these women. Your time will be rewarded over and over. I was mesmerized.
Extract from essay by John Morrell, Ageless Exhibition Catalog, 2010
Chair and Associate Professor of Painting, Department of Art and Art History, Georgetown University