GEERLINGS, Gerald

American (1897 – 1998)

Jewelled City, 1931

Czestochowski 21 vii/vii. Etching and aquatint printed in blue ink, full margins. One of only a few proofs in a variant color (there was an edition of 32 printed typically in brown or black ink). Signed and titled in pencil.

15 ⅝ x 11 ¾ inches | 39.7 x 29.9 cm

SOLD

A special proof printed in a stunning cool blue ink, this aquatint creates a magical effect of the twinkling Chicago skyline. Jewelled City is the artist’s masterpiece and a tour de force of aquatint technique. Geerlings won his first award for a print in 1931, given by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for Jeweled City.

The Chicago view is eastward from Wacker Drive and the Wells Street elevated train crosses in the middle ground. Some of the featured skyscrapers are (from left) the Wrigley Building, 1924; Mather Tower, 1928; Carbide and Carbon Building, 1929 and the Pure Oil Building, 1926.

SKU: Jewelled City Category: ~ SOLD Archives ~ Tags: 30s prints, Chicago prints, Cityscapes in prints, Depression era prints, Gerald Geerlings etchings, Gerald Geerlings prints, WPA prints