
Collection Online as of March 29, 2023
(American, 1948-)
Mezzotint on blue paper
Support: Pale blue paper
Sheet: 47.6 x 64.4 cm (18 3/4 x 25 3/8 in.); Platemark: 38.8 x 56.9 cm (15 1/4 x 22 3/8 in.)
Bequest of John Bonebrake 2012.289
Catalogue raisonné: Hartley N
Edition: 75
not on view
Bonebrake concentrated on collecting prints from the 19th and early 20th centuries, but he was occasionally attracted to contemporary artwork. Since McPherson had completed a commission for the Print Club of Cleveland, Bonebrake was familiar with the artist’s work, which often documents what remains of the steel industry in Pittsburgh. McPherson is a master of mezzotint, a laborious technique that few printmakers use today. Mezzotint can achieve velvety tones and striking contrasts of light and dark, which McPherson exploits to transform mundane street scenes into enigmatic nighttime locales.