Untitled, from Six Manièrs Noires (Six Mezzotints)

Wolfgang Gäfgen produced several major mezzotint series in the 1970s. The title alludes to an old name for the printing method as the manière noire, or “black manner.” Mezzotint was also termed the “Black Art” because of the inky tones created by completely rocking the printing plate. Only then would details be burnished out of the dark field. While Gäfgen made some mezzotints on a pristine white ground, these isolated, hyperrealistic objects are better served by a stark black background. The purpose of the wrapped and tied pieces of wood remains mysterious, but their textures are powerfully immediate.