Edward Wadsworth (British, 1889-1949)


Mytholmroyd (Colnaghi 101; Greenwood W4) The rare woodcut printed in black and grey, circa 1914, on brown wove paper, signed and dated in pencil, some staining in the margins, otherwise in good conditionBlock 215 x 175mm; Sheet 324 x 225mm.
|As an exponent of the Vorticist movement, Wadsworth sought to capture the dynamism of the modern machine age through abstraction and his woodcuts are regarded as a high point of innovation and precision in 20th Century printmaking. Wadsworth was born in Yorkshire, where his father ran a textile mill, so he was familiar with the industrial forms of its manufacturing towns, like Mytholmroyd. He studied engineering draughtsmanship which gave him an appreciation of the technical precision required for woodcut production and how well this translated into abstract imagery. In this woodcut we recognize the chimneys and factory roofs of the town, but there is a clear abstract handling in the geometric forms and restricted colour palette.Further impressions were printed on cream paper and grey-green paper. This is the first known impression to appear at auction which is dated.