John Piper was a famous British painter, graphic artist, designer and
writer. He was born in 1903, and died 1992. He had a long and diverse career
but is particularly known for his paintings of architectural scenery, such as churches
and stately homes.
This print I have chosen is a great
example of this, which is called ‘Petit Palais: Yellow and Yellow’, which was
produced in 1972. The medium is screenprint on paper, and the dimensions are
783 x 573mm.
I loved this print by Piper which instantly caught my eye. I
think this may be down to the way Piper has not been afraid to experiment with bold
composition and contrasting colours to achieve this, which I think is very
inspiring.
The complimentary colour palette used (yellow and blues hues)
work well together; illustrating the finer detail in the design of the building.
This also gives the print a sense of depth to the shape of the building and
around the stone carvings.
In addition to this, I feel that the use of the black background
in the other two sections tone down the print, but also helps the simplistic detail
in yellow, stand out. This symmetrical layout I feel emphasises the difference
between his level control in the detail; the use of complementary colours; and
how flat the print is in the different sections can look due to these aspects.
The reason John Piper’s work interests me is the way he can make such a complex
print look effortless and humble. It is very inspiring for me to look at his
work, and it definitely makes me want to experiment different printmaking
techniques in the way he did.
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