The Death

2009 - Drawing & Print (Drawing & Print)

36 x 24 1/2 in.

Audra Knutson

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Audra Knutson’s work, The Death , is a hand-pulled linocut print inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge . Set in what appears to be a pathway inside a small town, the scene features two central figures: a man seated on a chair with a skull on his lap, and a girl writing the message ‘voilà votre mort, monsieur’ on a nearby wall. The girl’s message echoes the expression in the man’s face, who appears resigned or as described by Knutson “accepting death or a monotony in living, and not embracing beauty.” The large areas of solid ink in contrast with the delicate linework create a sense of theatricality and drama, and add to the mysterious and surreal nature of the scene. As with many of her pieces, this work is interrelated with the print The Oblivion , and are both part of a series Knutson began in 2005.

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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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• death.n.02
• resignation.n.02
• phantasmagoric.s.01
• mystery.n.01
• contrast.n.01
• contemplation.n.01