ARMIN LANDECK
Three etchings.
Bedford Street (second state), 1938. Edition of 80 (from an intended edition of 100) * Shadowed Street, 1947. Edition of 75 (from an intended edition of 100) * Alleyway, 1948. Edition of 90 (from an intended edition of 100. Each signed, dated and inscribed "Ed. 100" in pencil, lower margin. Various sizes and conditions. Kraeft 68, 98 and 101.Both Landeck (1905-1984) and Martin Lewis chronicled New York in their prints and made their reputation as printmakers. They were associated with the American Scene and Landeck came to specialize in urban landscapes with only implicit presence of a human subject. Like Hopper, Landeck drew from the drama unfolding outside his window. He created the composition of the 1938 etching and drypoint Manhattan Nocturne from his apartment window at University Place and 8th Street. Landeck was born in Wisconsin and raised in Toledo, Ohio. He studied architecture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and at Columbia University, New York. The same year he graduated in 1927, Landeck was noticed by Kennedy Galleries, New York for his etching and was soon represented by them. When he could not find architectural work during the Great Depression, Landeck turned to printmaking full time, focusing on the themes of isolation and a deserted city. In 1934, Landeck opened the short-lived School for Printmakers with George Miller and Martin Lewis and continued to teach at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He took up engraving after meeting Stanley William Hayter in 1941, a medium that he would continue to use, almost exclusively, until the end of his career.