The Oblivion

2009 - Drawing & Print (Drawing & Print)

Audra Knutson

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Audra Knutson’s work The Oblivion was carved and printed in conjunction with the print The Death . Also a hand-printed linocut, many of the details in this work are based on photocopies of images sourced by the artist from her local library. At the time she was making these works, she recalls looking at ‘beautiful, sad, timeless and stark photographs taken in old-work segments of Europe and being influenced by their aesthetic and emotional gravitas. In The Oblivion both movement and humans are present yet elusive: objects that are usually in motion appear still (a bicycle, a horse, a burning candle) and demonic-like masks obscure the three figures’ human qualities. There is a darkness and mystery present in both prints, which echoes the irrational nature of the novel by Rainer Maria Rilke, which was a source of inspiration for the series. As with Rilke’s novel, Knutson’s haunting images have an inherent disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety.

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Based in San Francisco, Audra Knutson is known for her delicate and intricate works that depict elements from nature as well as scenes and objects from the everyday. Working across printmaking, letterpress printing, bookbinding, painting, drawing, metalsmithing and weaving, her compositions fluctuate between figuration and abstraction and have a distinctive style that considers in equal parts the objects that she depicts as well as the space that surrounds them. In several of her compositions, white, empty areas surround and emphasize vibrant zones of organic geometry, patterns, textures and color. Often suggesting natural formations — from plants and animals to salt crystals, mountains, and rolling waves — Knutson’s works speak of her connection to the natural world. Although some pieces originate from her observation of her surrounds, Knutson also leans on and depicts images and knowledge from books and other artists. Several of her works are interrelated and presented as series, and often elements and ideas interplay and weave between series as well as between bodies of work.

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Colors:

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• oblivion.n.01
• dark.n.01
• anxiety.n.01
• mask.n.01
• devil.n.02
• mystery.n.01