Artist Aline Feldman (1928-2018)

Unfastening Day

Date1998

MediumWhite-line woodcut

Dimensions48 × 32 in. (121.9 × 81.3 cm)

Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection

Object numberDCCAH2002.060

ClassificationsPrints

Locations

Executive Office of the Mayor (1350 Penn Ave NW, 300)

DescriptionAline Feldman’s technique is based on the Japanese woodcut method. Her teacher was Unichi Hiratsuka who was designated a “Living Treasure.” To make her woodcut prints Feldman carves around the shapes in the composition which will appear as white lines (the color of the paper) thus the name of the technique: White-Line Woodcut. Each form—a tree, street etc. is then painted with watercolor. The paper is placed down on top of the carved and painted wood and then the back of the paper is burnished with a tool called a baren. This transfers the image from the painted wood to the paper which becomes THE PRINT!!! It is a labor intensive process. The process is repeated for each form in the composition…going from one form to the next until the printing is completed.