ANTONIO SANTOS | "THE RED HOUSE" (47/50) | ORIGINAL ETCHING | CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART

ANTONIO SANTOS | "THE RED HOUSE" (47/50) | ORIGINAL ETCHING | CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART

A superb intaglio print by the National Illustration Award winner, paying homage to rural architecture through "cultured primitivism" and the highest artisanal quality.

HISTORY AND CURATORIAL ANALYSIS

The synthesis of refuge and intaglio etching

Antonio Santos (Luesia, 1955) is an artist who has made economy of means and honesty of line his greatest hallmark. In this etching explicitly titled "THE RED HOUSE", the artist offers us a lesson in graphic lyricism. The work features a rural building with robust volumes, dominated by a unique tower or chimney, perfectly integrated into a terraced hillside.

Unlike his well-known linocuts of large, flat black masses, Santos here explores the possibilities of etching. The artist constructs the atmosphere, light, and vegetation (highlighting those stylized cypress trees and the flight of birds) through a meticulous and vibrant mesh of cross-hatching and incisions on the metal plate.

The poetics of the medium: handmade paper

The true material triumph of this edition is the dialogue between the ink and its support. The work is printed on superb handmade (vat) cotton paper of very high grammage, exhibiting extreme and deeply organic natural deckled edges all around its perimeter. The pressure of the press has left a clear and deep "plate mark," embedding the matrix into the cellulose and attesting to the nobility and physicality of the traditional printing process.

WHY THIS PIECE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR COLLECTION?

• Strictly Limited Edition (47/50): Annotated in pencil in the lower left margin, the numbering 47/50 guarantees that this is a very short edition (barely 50 copies worldwide), ensuring real scarcity in the secondary market.

• Tactile and Museum-Quality: The combination of the fine etching incision with the robust cotton paper with irregular edges makes this print a three-dimensional object that demands to be viewed closely and framed in a "floating" manner so as not to conceal its deckled edges.

• Signature of Contemporary Prestige: Antonio Santos is an established figure in the current Spanish graphic art and illustration scene, with his intaglio editions being highly coveted pieces by private collectors.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Artist: Antonio Santos (Luesia, Zaragoza, b. 1955).

• Title / Theme: "THE RED HOUSE" / Rural architecture (Intaglio landscape).

• Technique and Medium: Original etching (Intaglio) printed on handmade (vat) cotton paper of high grammage with full deckled edges.

• Documented Dimensions: Full support: Approx. 36 x 26.5 cm / Plate mark (Graphic area): Approx. 15 x 12 cm.

• Edition and Inscriptions: Copy number 47/50, titled "THE RED HOUSE" and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin.

• Style / Movement: New Spanish graphic art / "Cultured primitivism".

• Provenance: Private collection / Gallery stock.

• Condition: Excellent archival quality. 

THE WORKSHOP'S NOTE

There are prints that are seen, and prints that can almost be touched. The thickness of this paper and the depth of the metal mark make "The Red House" a triumph of the engraver's craft. A charming work, designed to enrich the collection of those who value the nobility of centuries-old techniques applied to contemporary art.

Collector's Dossier Included: This work comes with a research study, prepared and printed by El Taller del Coleccionista, certifying our curation and known provenance.