Skip to main content

The Birdlover

Adja Yunkers; International Graphic Arts Society Inc.

Artwork Details

The Birdlover
1952
Adja Yunkers; International Graphic Arts Society Inc.
woodcut on paper
20 x 15 15/16 in. (50.8 x 40.48 cm);22 x 18 in. (55.88 x 45.72 cm);14 3/4 x 11 1/8 in. (37.47 x 28.26 cm)
Museum Purchase
1952/2.14

Description

Subject Matter:

While living in Stockholm in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Yunkers published several journals on art and politics. Yunkers' handcrafted journals were evidence of his developing interest in printmaking, and by the 1940s he was making woodblock prints. Birds were a theme that appeared in other prints by the artist, including his 1947 Dead Bird, Fencing Bird (1971), and Falling Birds (1978).

Physical Description:

This print is an abstracted image of a bird-like face with large round eyes. It appears behind a series of empty white lines and spaces that makes it look like it is peering out of a broken window or mirror. The woodcut is summarily carved, leaving a lot of texture in the blue, green, brown, white, and pink patches of color surrounding the face. 

Usage Rights:

If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.