%C2%A9 Estate of Norma Bassett Hall
Old Sycamore, 1941-1942
Norma Bassett Hallexpand_more
Color woodcutexpand_more
Gift of Marla J. Kinneyexpand_more 2017.72.2
Not on Viewexpand_more
Living in rural Kansas, Norma Bassett Hall was so committed to putting art into people’s hands that she allowed her original color woodcuts, in frames, to be checked out of her local library to hang in patrons’ homes for a while. This populism may be what prompted her to carve her prints from inexpensive kitchen cutting boards, but it’s unlikely she found one big enough for Old Sycamore. After printing the brown outline block, Hall printed blue over the whole sheet except the riverbank, sycamore bark, and areas of fall color (and their corresponding reflections in the water). Next came the orange foliage and the lime green on the water. Then she added the block carrying the yellow foliage. This was followed by the green color in the background, and perhaps the tan colors. Finally came the dark blue-green that makes the venerated sycamore’s flaky bark pop.
Details
- Title
- Old Sycamore
- Artist Life
- 1889–1957
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2017.72.2
- Provenance
- Private collection, Massachusetts (until 2016; sold to Paramour); [Paramour Fine Art, Franklin, Mich.; 2016-2017]
- Curator Approved
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© Estate of Norma Bassett Hall