When Fear Becomes Conscious

Cat. No. 762, unique variant 1

When Fear Becomes Conscious

State/Variant:
Only state, unique variant
Date:
2006
Alternate Title:
Alone and Together
Themes
Abstraction
Techniques
Etching
Support:
Paper
Dimensions:
plate (each): 60 5/16 × 12 3/8" (153.2 × 31.5 cm); sheet (overall): 59 1/2 × 72" (151.1 × 182.9 cm)
Signature:
panel (e): "LB" lower right comp., pencil.
Publisher
Osiris
Printer
Wingate Studio
Edition:
Unique
Edition Information:
This is one of 9 unique variants that incorporate the "Alone and Together" plate, printed alone or in combination with other plates in multi-panel works.

When the plate is used alone, the work is included in the Evolving Composition Diagram. When it is printed with other plates, it is included in Related Works in the Catalogue.

See Evolving Composition Diagram:
"When Fear Becomes Conscious"
"Alone and Together"
"What You Think of Me"

See Related Works in the Catalogue:
"Inside of You"
Untitled, no. 8 of 11, from the series, "Extreme Tension"
"The Fear Is Inside You!!!"
Untitled, no. 2 of 3, from the series, "I Want to Talk About Magic"
Untitled, no. 2 of 5, from the series, "The Vocabulary of Seduction"
Untitled, no. 1 of 3, from the series, "Sainte Nitouche"

There are 2 known cancellation proofs on paper, each with a large "X" drawn across the composition from each corner of the plate.
Impression:
Not numbered
Background:
Benjamin Shiff, the director of the Osiris imprint, collaborated with Bourgeois in a highly experimental phase of printmaking that occupied the last years of her life, from 2005 to 2010. He first established a working relationship with the artist in the 1990s, but the late period is particularly noteworthy for the innovative and complex large-scale projects that evolved at that time. Shiff made use of professional workshops for printing, but he oversaw the creation of the printing plates as Bourgeois worked on them in her home studio. He also provided assistance as she added extensive hand additions and texts, and as she combined individual compositions into multi-panel works and illustrated books.
Curatorial Remarks:
The paper type could not be documented because this work is not in MoMA's Collection and could not be examined in person. The plate dimensions come from the single panel impression of the only state in MoMA's Collection. The overall sheet dimensions were provided by the Louise Bourgeois Studio.

On the text panel, gouache is applied like a correction fluid to cover unwanted marks.
Description:
panel (a), (b), (d), and (e): Soft ground etchings
panel (c): Pencil, with white gouache
Inscription:
panel (c): "when fear becomes conscious" center sheet, pencil, artist's hand.
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY

Alone and Together

2006-2008

States
Alone and Together
Unique variants
When Fear Becomes Conscious
Alone and Together
What You Think of Me

Related Works in the Catalogue

Untitled, no. 2 of 3, from the series, I Want To Talk About Magic
Untitled, no. 8 of 11, from the series, Extreme Tension
The Fear Is Inside You!!!
Untitled, no. 2 of 5, from the series, The Vocabulary of Seduction
Untitled, plate 2 of 9, from the portfolio, The View from the Bottom of the Well
Inside of You
Peeking through Curtain
Untitled, no. 1 of 3, from the series, Sainte Nitouche

Related Works in Other Mediums

Embracing Couple
Couple
Untitled