Robert Ball - 20th Century Wood Engraving Stone Wall

Description

A meticulously detailed woodcut print by English artist Robert Ball (1918–2008), depicting the uneven top of a drystone wall. Horses pull a plough towards the viewer on the left-hand side, while a stoat scurries into the wall for shelter. The work was produced to illustrate Frank Mansell's 1969 book 'Cotswold Ballads.' Titled and signed in graphite below the image, and smartly presented in an oak frame. On paper.

Condition

Slight discolouration to the paper and light wear to the frame; however, the artwork is in very good condition overall.

Size

12.5 x 8.5cm (4.9" x 3.3")
Framed Size: 30 x 25cm (11.8" x 9.8")

Collection Information

Highly skilled in woodcutting, etching, and engraving, Robert Ball is recognised as one of the greatest British printmakers of his generation.

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Artist Biography

Robert Ball was a painter and printmaker born in Birmingham, the son of a silversmith. He attended Moseley School of Art, before furthering his studies at Birmingham School of Art and the Royal College of Art. He won a British Institution Scholarship in Engraving in 1937. Ball taught painting, drawing, and anatomy at Birmingham School of Art, and became Principal of Stroud School of Art in 1953. He exhibited at the Royal Academy, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, Royal West of England Academy, New English Art Club, and Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1943, and a full member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists six years later. Examples of his work are in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, and also Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, amongst others. In 1999, Ball was given a retrospective exhibition at Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery.