Mohammad Omer Khalil, born 1936, Sudan Search this
Medium:
Etching and aquatint on paper
Dimensions:
H x W: 158.8 x 117.2 cm ( 62 1/2 x 46 1/8 in.)
Type:
Print
Geography:
Sudan
Date:
1986
Series:
17/25
Label Text:
This series of etchings was inspired by the music of Bob Dylan, which Khalil listenened, and responded to, while creating. In the Dylan series, Khalil strove to give visual form to emotional states, making the invisible visible, through his process of abstraction. However, his abstractions can also be grounded in real, actual shapes, displaying his predilection for ambiguity.
Khalil regards etching as the perfect medium to express his artistic agenda. He often combines aquatint, dry point, soft ground, spit biting and chincolet. As he notes, "subtle nuances...if I get the right tone in deepest black then the rest works out."
In this work, Idiot Wind, the artist used two zinc plates to create a single image, stating that, after printing, the edges of the "two pieces of paper should line up disregarding the image." (Williams 11) His use of patterns and textures is apparent, even in the darkest spaces of the print, and successfully modulate what would otherwise be harshly contrasting tones. The use of aquatint allows him to achieve these graded tonalities.
Williams, Sylvia H. 1994. Mohammad Omer Khalil, Etchings, Amir I. M. Nour, Sculpture. Exhibition booklet. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Description:
Etching in diptych format, included in a portfolio of seven prints. This is a black and white abstract print divided vertically into two halves. The upper half is largely black and the lower half has more white.
Exhibition History:
Mohammad Omer Khalil, Etchings; Amir I. M. Nour, Sculpture, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 16, 1994-February 26, 1995
Published References:
Williams, Sylvia H. 1994. Mohammad Omer Khalil, Etchings, Amir I. M. Nour, Sculpture. Exhibition booklet. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, p. 24, no. 4.
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