Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence

Cat. No. 992.2/VI, variant 3

Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence

State/Variant:
Version 2 of 3, state VI of VI, variant
Date:
1946-1947
Alternate Title:
Steel Structure; The Solitary Death of the Woolworth Building
Themes
Architecture
Techniques
Drypoint, Engraving
Support:
Smooth, laid paper
Dimensions:
plate: 6 15/16 x 4 13/16" (17.6 x 12.3 cm); sheet: 9 7/16 x 6 1/8" (24 x 15.5 cm)
Signature:
Not signed
Publisher
unpublished
Printer
The artist at Atelier 17
Edition:
7 known variant impressions of version 2, state VI
Edition Information:
Proof not included in any known example of "He Disappeared into Complete Silence," first edition; and proof before the editioning of version 3, state II, in the second edition. Published examples of the first edition are identified by Example numbers in the Evolving Composition Diagram below. The published example of the second edition is the last entry in the Evolving Composition Diagram.
Impression:
Not numbered
Curatorial Remarks:
In Wye and Smith, "The Prints of Louise Bourgeois," 1994, p. 83, this impression was catalogued as state III. It has since been determined to be an impression of state VI.
Former Cat. No.:
W & S 32.2
Description:
Engraving and drypoint
Inscription:
"IV" right lower margin, pencil, artist's hand.
State Changes and Additions:
Changes from version 1: composition transferred to new plate in engraving and drypoint.
Changes from version 2, state V, in engraving: structure and curvilinear form further developed.
Artist’s Remarks:
This structure is "open," with "a desire to be transparent... to be understood." Bourgeois contrasts it to the structures in the earlier plates, which are completely closed. "You must be transparent. You need to purge yourself... to say everything... that is healthy.... It is a move upward, toward expression." In later versions of the print there appears what Bourgeois characterizes as a "fire, raging inside.... There is danger, but everything is compartmentalized, so there is complete independence between the floors. It is accepted that things are off-balance. You can have a fire inside... an you can be at an angle... you will still be all right. Since you are transparent, people can read you and help you."

In talking generally about the whole suite of prints, Bourgeois said: "There is the presence of both closed and transparent moods. It is the swing of moods from night to morning. The distance between them is very great and there is a danger of cracking." (Quotes cited in Wye, Deborah and Carol Smith. "The Prints of Louise Bourgeois." New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1994, p. 82.)
MoMA Credit Line:
Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:
406.1993
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Plate 4, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence

1946-2005

First Version
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition
Plate 4 of 11, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition
Second Version
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 15)
Plate 6 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 13)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 14)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 1)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 2)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 3)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 4)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 5)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 6)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 7)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 8)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 9)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 10)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 11)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 12)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 16)
Plate 6 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 17)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 18)
Plate 4 of 9, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition (Example 19)
Third Version
Plate 4 of 11, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition
Plate 4 of 11, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition
Plate 4 of 11, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition
Plate 4 of 11, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition
Plate 4 of 11, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition
Plate 4 of 11, from the illustrated book, He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition

Illustrated Book

1947

He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first edition

Illustrated Book

2005

He Disappeared into Complete Silence, second edition

Illustrated Book

1947

He Disappeared into Complete Silence, first and second editions

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