JuxtaHub is thrilled to have a new display of artwork that can be seen at the popular Yergey Brewing, 235 East Main Street, in Emmaus. The collection, featuring works on loan to JuxtaHub, includes a variety of lithographs, silkscreen prints, and etchings. Several of the works are products of a very successful venture to make fine art more accessible through printmaking.
In 1934 art dealer Reeves Lewenthal established the Associated American Artists [AAA] as a New York City art gallery. Given the limited possibilities of selling high-priced art in the post-Depression era, Lewenthal conceived a print-making enterprise that would make quality works available at an affordable price to more people, ensuring profitability for both the AAA and the working artists who created the original pieces.
By the fall of 1934 Lewenthal had contracted with fifty department stores to carry AAA’s signed original prints by America’s great artists. In 1944 AAA had 107 artists under contract and sold 62,374 lithographs for net income $1 million per month. AAA ceased operations in year 2000, but the impact of printmaking on the fine art world endures.
Prints generally are less expensive to make and thus usually less costly to purchase than the original artwork – the original can be sold while the artist retains the copyright for the image to make additional prints. As our digital technologies expand, so has the discussion of artwork ownership, copyright infringement, NFT artwork (non-fungible token digital art asset,) and AI (artificial intelligence) generated artwork.
Joseph Demarais – 1927-1971 American print maker, sculptor, musician and educator
Demarais developed a process for creating dimensional prints by building up the print block surface of the zinc, copper, acetate, and Masonite matrices to create deeply textured imagery. A multi-talented artist Demarais studied, performed and taught music and then studied fine arts. His studio and classroom were in his home near New Hope PA. He produced more than 800 plates in seven years. Demarais’ printed work quickly achieved broad recognition and success – he exhibited in over 100 exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe before failing health and death at age 44. Anne Demarais, herself an accomplished artist and his wife, continued to make clearly marked “A. Demarais Imp.” [impression] additional editions of his popular prints.
Adolf Dehn – 1895-1968 American painter, print maker and educator
Dehn as a young artist produced caricature and illustrations often of humorous or politically radical characters – he became well known for his social commentary and satirical images. In 1917 he won a scholarship to the Art Students League (NYC.) 1921 he traveled to Europe for the first time and settled in Austria making illustrations for European and American publications – his first notable artworks were drawings of common people in cafes, streets, and parks that often caused controversial public and critical response. In 1922 Dehn starting making lithographs with Berlin Germany printmaker Schultz and Paris France master printer Desjobert. He became a prolific and notable lithographer, introducing a variety of textural effects such as scrubbing erasing, and scraping with a variety of tools from razor blades to sandpaper, as well as washes and ink wash all to create effects of overall tone not seen previously in lithography. In the early 1930s Dehn returned to America during Depression era hard times and like many other artists took work as an artist in the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA.) In 1938 he began producing a prolific number of and notably popular lithographs for Associated American Artists (AAA) which provided both a steady income and a renewed national exposure for his work. Years 1943-1968 Dehn had achieved considerable fame and financial success with both print and watercolor work.
About every other year Dehn would schedule several weeks of intense work in the Desjobert lithography shops (Paris) where he continued to experiment with techniques and there created his first multiple colors prints.
Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin – 1809-1864 French artist
JuxtaHub has included a print of Flandrin’s most celebrated work, “Jeune Homme Nu Assis au Board de la Mer” in this collection. The original oil painting is part of the permanent collection at the Louvre. This print, produced by Migneco & Smith, represents how publishers produce thousands of copies of famous artworks, generally without permission or compensation to the artists’ estates, because they are considered to be within the public domain.
Max Kahn – 1903-2005 Russian/American artist, print maker, sculptor, and teacher
Acclaimed artists and life companions Max Kahn and Eleanor Coen established a national reputation for painting and print making in the 1940s and 1950s. Kahn’s work in color lithography is recognized as instrumental in color prints finding new acceptance in an affordable market for the middle class and in the higher-end collectors markets. Kahn and Coen were two of the most influential and popular Chicago artists of their time, Kahn later known as one of the oldest active artist in the Chicago arts community history.
Joachim Knill – 1966-Living Swiss/American photographer, print maker, teacher, and inventor
Knill designed and built a large format, long exposure, camera to utilize 20”x30” Polaroid film [instant film typically used in medical equipment.] Knill has assembled and photographed a variety of creative surreal landscapes and installations using found natural materials and household objects in making “otherworldly realities.” He uniquely lights/illuminates the installations to create special dimensional effects. Knill received a BFA at The School of The Museum of Fine Arts [Boston] working in video, film, photography, sculpture, and painting – and later teaching same there, at other Boston institutions, and later in his Hannibal Missouri studio. He makes smaller photographic prints of his large scale Polaroid film originals
“Tod” Raphael Leroy Lindenmuth – 1885-1976 American painter, print maker, and educator.
Born and raised in Allentown, he was the son of artist, early photographer, and gallery owner Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth. Lindenmuth studied and painted in Allentown through the early 1900s then studied with Robert Henri at the New York School of Art NYC and in Provincetown with E. Ambrose Webster and George Elmer Browne. He was a founder of Provincetown Art Association [1914] and he and his wife artist Elizabeth Boardman Warren were founding members of the Provincetown Printers [circa 1920.] Lindenmuth was one of the first artists to work with cut linoleum printmaking. In the early 1930s the Lindenmuths started spending winters in St. Augustine FL where they were active in the St. Augustine Art Association. In the 1940s they relocated their summer residence from Provicetown to Rockport MA and became active there in the Rockport Artist Association. Lindenmuth was first a traditional landscape painter, became active in the Modernist movement, and later was also considered a semi-abstract painter. He is best known for his prints; his prints and oil paintings are collected and remain in demand.
Jaromir Stretti-Zamponi – 1882-1959 Czechoslovakian engraver, print maker
Stretti-Zamponi was a self-taught artist who trained as an etcher and printmaker in Czechoslovakia and Paris France. His detailed etchings were acclaimed for detail and technical workmanship and were in demand from their printing thru the late 20th century – interest in and demand for vintage etchings has diminished more than for other vintage block-type and silk screen or serigraph prints.
Sol Wilson – 1896-1974 Russian/American painter, print maker, and educator
Wilson emigrated to America in 1911 and was a muralist with Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist. Wilson studied in New York at Cooper Union, at National Academy of Design and at the Ferrer School with Robert Henri and George Bellows. He taught at the Students League and the American Artists School (NYC.) Wilson’s work often revealed socio-economic concerns and living conditions he witnessed in NYC and in Provincetown and Rockport, Massachusetts.
Josef Zenk – 1904-2000 American artist, print maker and educator
Zenk born in NYC studied at the National Academy of Design and at the Art Students League. He moved to Utica NY in 1926 where he made landscape, figurative and still life paintings – 1930 he was granted a full scholarship to study at the Munson Williams Proctor Institute [Utica.]. After WWII service Zenk studied at the New School [NYC] along with a group of prominent woodcut artists and they formed “Studio 74” for exhibiting their color woodblock prints – the group received immediate critical attention. In late 1940s Zenk moved to Upper Black Eddy PA remaining active painting, making woodblock prints, and teaching art classes up to the end of his long life, he died age 96. Zenk’s many decades of work, encompassing a variety of styles and themes, in wood block print and oil painting are experiencing a resurgence in popularity and collector demand.
PAST ARTISTS
Carol Angstadt
Carol is an artist and designer working from a home studio in Kutztown. For 23-years she specialized in graphic design, art direction and project management at Rodale Inc. At Rodale Carol designed book interiors and covers working in the business and creative sides of publishing. At this time she’s excited to be spending more time creating away from the computer and getting back to roots as a maker – making jewelry, painting with acrylics and loving it! Carol has generously contributed to the creation and development of JuxtaHub by donating her time, experience and skills. Her artwork and professional design services are at www.CarolAngstadt.com.
Dave Jacoby
Dave is a local artist/craftsman and a lifelong resident of the Lehigh Valley. He is a multimedia artist who often combines his woodworking skills with more traditional artistic media, including oils, acrylics, inks and encaustic. Found objects often appear in his work as well. The results are often three-dimensional and textural, inviting viewers to touch as well as observe visually.
Identifying himself as an experimental artist, he avoids looking into a specific creative style. Rather, he explores any and all possibilities and finds inspiration in nature, dreams, current events and personal relationships. Keen observation is a critical component of his work. And so, like many artists, he sees and interprets things quite differently than most.
Marge Kavchok
Margie resides in Emmaus where she lives with her husband Joe and their dogs. She enjoys learning and practicing art techniques in various media but prefers pen and ink along with watercolor. Margie has had a lifelong passion for art and painting, her artwork has been exhibited regionally. Margie, a Master’s prepared Registered Nurse, retired from teaching Nursing at Gwynedd Mercy University.
Bob McLeod
Emmaus resident, Marvel and DC Comics Artist and author, Bob is a New Mutants co-creator and comic book legend. He began his career working in the production department of Marvel Comics in 1973. He soon began penciling and inking for Marvel, later became an inker at Marvel and DC Comics on many series. Bob drew the graphic novel and the first three issues of New Mutants and inked a number of subsequent issues. Bob very generously gifted to JuxtaHub’s art collection the Bus Stop size poster seen in this exhibit. He was the first guest on Kelly Planer’s podcast CREATIVE BACKSTORY that was recorded in JuxtaHub’s digital maker spaces, check it out on audible.com. To purchase these and other prints of Bob’s work go to website www.MBartist.com
Kelly Planer
An Emmaus resident, Kelly is a professional writer, photographer, videographer, musician, artist, and host of The CREATIVE BACKSTORY, a podcast recorded in JuxtaHub’s digital maker space. Kelly considers the creative process to be a means to conversation and relies on a multi-disciplinary approach to explore her ideas. She believes that when art is shared, not only is it a way to communicate, but also, it challenges those who experience the art to think, to see, to learn, to disagree, and to understand. From there, art enables viewers to compare stories and reach find new ideas together. She volunteered her experience and skills early in the development of JuxtaHub.
Anthony Smith, Jr.
Originally from the South, Anthony developed interests and talent in art that lead him to receiving a B.A. in Fine Arts from Amherst College and an M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Michigan. He creates drawings, prints and painted artwork, often in related multiples or series – and has collaborated with other artists on special projects. His work has been widely exhibited, internationally and nationally; most recently in February 2022 at Northampton Community College. Anthony has taught at the University of Michigan, Parsons School of Design, Princeton University, Maryland Institute College of Art, Muhlenberg College, Vermont Studio Center, and he currently teaches at Northampton Community College. Anthony lives in Allentown and has Studio 242 at the Banana Factory Arts and Education Center.
Much of Anthony’s original artwork, and different sizes copies/prints, are viewable and available on the website www.saatchiart.com or by contacting/visiting him at Banana Factory’s Studio 242.
Sid Snyder
Sid a retired Engineer at PPL Corporation was also a serious student of Art. He studied in Allentown at The Baum School of Art with several instructors and also in Coplay at Barnstone Studios. Born in Allentown he raised his family in Emmaus before returning to Allentown where he now resides with wife Kathleen.