Mountain Ponds 1993

Cat. No. 553/II

Mountain Ponds 1993

State/Variant:
State II of XIII
Date:
1993

Alternate Title:
Lacs de Montagne (Mountain Lakes); Convulsions
Themes
Nature
Techniques
Engraving
Support:
Paper
Dimensions:
plate: 18 1/16 × 23 7/8" (45.9 × 60.6 cm); sheet: 26 1/2 × 32 1/4" (67.3 × 81.9 cm)
Signature:
"Louise Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher
Louise Bourgeois
Printer
Harlan & Weaver
Edition:
7
Edition Information:
There is 1 known variant impression of state II, outside the edition.

Varying hand additions in blue watercolor, blue and black ink, pencil, and charcoal appear on all impressions in the "Mountain Ponds 1993" edition. Four examples from the edition are seen below in the Evolving Composition Diagram.

States XII and XIII of this composition were also issued as published editions.
Impression:
"4/7" lower left margin, pencil, artist's hand.
Background:
State XIII was published as a benefit for Chalcographie of the Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Curatorial Remarks:
The type of paper could not be documented because this impression is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person. The plate dimensions are from an impression in MoMA's Collection. The sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.
Description:
Engraving, with blue watercolor, blue and black ink, and pencil additions
Inscription:
"Mountain Ponds 1993" lower right margin, pencil, artist's hand.
State Changes and Additions:
Matrices:
The progression of this composition, as seen in the Evolving Composition Diagram below, involved 3 plates.

Plate 1: overall linear composition; printed in black.
Plate 2: fill in lakes, and later, larger cloud form; usually printed in blue, sometimes in red, pink, and gray.
Plate 3: fill in mountains and smaller cloud form; printed in blue and/or red.

Print State Changes:
Plate 1 printed in black.
Changes from state I, in engraving: lower left mountain delineated; segmented trough added to lower center composition.
Additions in blue watercolor: lakes added.
Additions in blue ink: contours of lakes delineated.
Additions in black ink and pencil: mountains further delineated.
Other Remarks:
According to Bourgeois's assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, this composition depicts mountains in Switzerland and likely references the artist's memories of visits there in her youth, especially for skiing.
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Mountain Ponds 1993 ; Lacs de Montagne

1993-1997

Studies
Untitled (Study for Mountain Ponds, 1993)
Untitled (Study for Mountain Ponds 1993)
States
Mountain Ponds 1993
Mountain Ponds 1993
Mountain Ponds 1993
Mountain Ponds 1993
Mountain Ponds 1993
Mountain Ponds 1993
Mountain Ponds 1993
Mountain Ponds 1993 (When in Doubt Suspend Judgement)
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Mountain Ponds 1993
Rain on the Mountain Lakes
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne
Lacs de Montagne

Related Works in the Catalogue

Untitled
Night and Day
Horizontal Mountain Landscape
Blue Is the Color of Your Eyes
M Is for Mother, plate 4 of 7, from the portfolio, La Réparation

Related Works in Other Mediums

Untitled
Soft Landscape II
The Sweet Smell of Indigo
Untitled
Untitled, no. 57 of 220, from the series, The Insomnia Drawings
Untitled, no. 188 of 200, from the series, Insomnia Drawings
Les 2 Lacs
Untitled