It's summer's last hurrah, so take the plunge with Valkyrie of the Sea!Xavier Tizoc Martinez created this beguiling image using the monotype printing technique.
Swim with the Fishes
It's summer's last hurrah, so take the plunge with Valkyrie of the Sea!Xavier Tizoc Martinez created this beguiling image using the monotype printing technique.
In its simplest form, a monotype is made by drawing with printer's ink or oil paint on a smooth surface such as glass or a metal plate. The image is then transferred to paper before it dries, using a printing press or other means of pressure. Because most of the image is transferred in the printing process, only one strong impression can be taken, hence the term monotype (one print).
Martinez exhibited several monotypes at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 and received an honorable mention for his evocative image titled Valkyrie of the Sea. In each of the three versions of this subject, a nude female (portrayed by his wife, Elsie Martinez), with hair streaming, sits astride a large fish swimming in gray-green water.
Learn more about the artist, the artwork, and the monotype process in our online exhibition Singular Impressions: the Emergence of the Monotype.
Pictured: Xavier Martinez, 1869 Mexico–1943 USA, Valkyrie of the Sea, about 1915, monotype on paper, sheet and image: 7 13/16 x 7 13/16 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase.