Cat. No. 553/III
Mountain Ponds 1993 (When in Doubt Suspend Judgement)
- State/Variant:
- State III of XIII
- Date:
- 1993
- Alternate Title:
- Lacs de Montagne (Mountain Lakes); Convulsions
- Themes
- Nature
- Techniques
- Aquatint, Engraving
- Support:
- Paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 18 1/16 × 23 7/8" (45.9 × 60.6 cm); sheet: 26 1/2 × 32" (67.3 × 81.3 cm)
- Signature:
- Not signed
- Publisher
- unpublished
- Printer
- Harlan & Weaver
- Edition:
- 1 known impression of state III
- Edition Information:
- Proof before the editioning of states XII and XIII. This composition was also issued as a published edition at state II.
- Impression:
- Not numbered
- 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 and aquatint, with blue and pink watercolor, blue ink, and charcoal additions
- Inscription:
- “Dans le doute suspend judgement / Les lacs de montagne / appaisant et dispai… / Tu veux etre un lac de / May / temps [illeg.] artour / chaque chose à sa / place / illustrative / le figuratif a / veut dere le / metaphorique / es[illeg.]ples / zealous bar tending / au seus figure / joueur foul play / fervid fervor / eager / fanatical / 2 seus / litteraure [sic] / et [illeg.] / Lacant / Teleuse / Religious zeal / dedicated / devoted ernest [sic] midressed -> / zeale and / zeale and / J’ai passé / ma vie à faire du / zele” left to right lower margin, pencil, artist’s hand; “10.29.93 2nd 3rd [crossed out] state aquatint: pink blue spit bite / black engraving 2 plates” lower left to lower middle margin, unknown hand, pencil; “Je ne joue pas sun / les mots et je ne suis / Pas [illeg.] / le maurais joueur / Faire du Tele est sexy / true or false or / dangerous / The smell of wine of / feet of earth. / of / sweat / zele and fashion / Marjoue at 349 / atmosphere de boufle / et de [illeg.] riddle. / le zele et personne ne / canfu… - les / consuis – the message is clear. les apres et la petite [sketch] studio / petite atelier, petite studio / petite apparte / pousses la / chanson / le zele / & / La Dre[illeg.] / jour du / Chantage / Le Jour de la [illeg.] / de la mere / Jealous entertaining / sant [illeg.] la / Reorere traveling / zealous collecting / zealous cooking / zealous singing / zealous dancing / zealous flirting / zealous funding” upper to 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, over plate 2 printed in blue and pink.
Changes from state II, in aquatint: lakes and large cloud form added.
Additions in blue ink: sun added, anticipating state IV. - 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.
State III of XIII
1993
Mountain Ponds 1993 ; Lacs de Montagne
1993-1997
Study
1993
Untitled (Study for <i>Mountain Ponds, 1993</i>)
1993
Study
1993
Untitled (Study for <i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>)
1993
State I of XIII, variant
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State I of XIII, variant
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State II of XIII, variant
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State II of XIII
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State II of XIII
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State II of XIII
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State II of XIII
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State III of XIII
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993 (When in Doubt Suspend Judgement)</i>
1993
State IV of XIII
1993
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1993
State IV of XIII
1993
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1993
State V of XIII, variant
1993
<i>Mountain Ponds 1993</i>
1993
State V of XIII, variant
1996
<i>Rain on the Mountain Lakes</i>
1996
State V of XIII, variant
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State V of XIII, variant
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State V of XIII, variant
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State V of XIII, variant
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State VI of XIII
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State VII of XIII
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State VIII of XIII
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State IX of XIII
1996
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1996
State X of XIII
1997
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1997
State XI of XIII, variant
1997
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1997
State XI of XIII, variant
1997
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1997
State XII of XIII
1997
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1997
State XIII of XIII
1997
<i>Lacs de Montagne</i>
1997
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c. 2003
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c. 2003
Night and Day
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2007
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2007
Horizontal Mountain Landscape
Only state
c. 1948
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c. 1948
Blue Is the Color of Your Eyes
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2008
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2008
M Is for Mother, plate 4 of 7, from the portfolio, La Réparation
State I of VII
2002
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2002
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2004
Untitled
2004
Medium: Watercolor and ink on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 1/2 x 9" (29.2 x 22.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Soft Landscape II
1967
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1967
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Dimensions: overall: 7 x 14 5/8 x 9 5/8" (17.8 x 37.1 x 24.4 cm)
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1968
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1968
Medium: Watercolor, charcoal, and gouache on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 19 1/4 x 25" (48.9 x 63.5 cm)
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2004
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2004
Medium: Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 30 1/2 x 41" (77.5 x 104.1 cm)
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Untitled, no. 57 of 220, from the series, The Insomnia Drawings
1994-1995
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1994-1995
Medium: Ink and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 10 1/2 x 8" (26.6 x 20.3 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
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1994-1995
Untitled, no. 188 of 200, from the series, Insomnia Drawings
1994-1995
Medium: Ink and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 10 1/2 x 8" (26.6 x 20.3 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Les 2 Lacs
1994
Les 2 Lacs
1994
Medium: Ink and pencil on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 9 × 11 3/4" (22.9 × 29.8 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Untitled
1997
Untitled
1997
Medium: Ink, pencil, and watercolor on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 8 1/4 × 11" (21 × 27.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY