Pair of Woodcut Prints
Axel Salto
Denmark, 1944

Description:

A set of two monochromatic woodcut prints by Danish artist, Axel Salto, for The Danish Etchers Union (Den danske Radeerforening) in 1944. 

The Union was founded in 1853 with the aim of promoting the medium of Danish printed graphics. For those that subscribed, they would receive original prints designed by the artist members- an initiative that still runs today. 

Axel Salto is a designer more widely known for his ceramics than his prints. Rounded, forms evocative of seed pods and other bulbous natural forms are a signature of his style. In print, this attention to form only persists. 

Across this pair of prints, Salto pushes form to the point of near abstraction. In "Død Raabuck", a depiction of a dead deer, Salto isolates the curled form of the animal in masses of solid black ink. A black circle protruding from the side gives us the only indication of violence, interrupting a possible depiction of sleep with a more sinister edge. 

The "Sleeping Hermaphrodite" was an image inspired by a marble in Pompeii. Like the deer, the contours of this figure are similarly pushed to abstraction. A constellation of lines encircle an almost broken central figure, formed through the slightest suggestion of body parts; a raised arm and two blank, elliptical eyes. 

The pair are sold as a set and include their original sleeve from the Etchers Union and information leaflet. They are each signed in pencil, "Salto", and stamped with the Union's mark. The prints are listed on the enclosed leaflet, which also included a third print entitled, "Aktæon", yet another reference to ancient history and, in this case, Ovid's "Metamorphosis".

Print Specifications:

Length: 49cm

Width: 38.5cm

The pair are sold as a set and include their original sleeve and information leaflet. They are each signed in pencil, "Salto".