The Drum and the Dance

Judy Pfaff, The Drum and the Dance, 1996, mixed intaglio and lithograph on paper, with artist-designed custom frame, 10 ¹⁄₈ x 75 ¹⁄₂ in. (25.7 x 191.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of David M. Maxfield, 1997.76.1

Artwork Details

Title: The Drum and the Dance
Artist: Judy Pfaff
Publisher: Tandem Press
Date: 1996
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 10 ¹⁄₈ x 75 ¹⁄₂ in. (25.7 x 191.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of David M. Maxfield
Mediums Description: mixed intaglio and lithograph on paper, with artist-designed custom frame
Classifications: Graphic Arts
Print
Subjects: Performing arts — music — drum
Figure — fragment — hand
Abstract
Object Number: 1997.76.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.76.1

Artwork Description

The Drum and the Dance is one of twelve prints inspired by Pfaff’s travels to Japan. The long, narrow horizontal shape of the prints in this group recalls the format of Chinese scrolls. Some of the shapes suggest sound or shock waves; other forms suggest musical scores and miniature solar systems. Asian allusions include palmistry, wiring from Hindu account ledgers and Tibetan medical books, as well as popular and folk art. Forms recur in more than one print as new elements are introduced. Each print is framed with its own hand-stenciled, painted, and silver leafed frame, inspired by the Book of Kells, and relating to the imagery found in that print.

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