Page 70 - Studio International - June 1970

Peter Schmidt's ANALYTICAL INTRODUCTION grant was not granted.
What title can one give 120 different pictures 2. Title page of the book Peterchen's Mondfahrt
monoprints of uniform size which are printed and collaged another page of which appears in Monoprint
and which incorporate the tangible residue of
A, No. 5.
one's life in the form of photographs, pages of 3. Self portrait, drawn with pen on, paper in
books read, possessed and made, drawings 1949.
and early works, letters and other mementos 4. Picture in pastels on paper dating back to
belonging to thirty-eight years of experience ? 1947, when Peter Schmidt was in the sixth
Peter Schmidt has called these works for want form at school, where incidentally art was not
of a better word or phrase that would evoke on the curriculum.
more readily what they really are, Mono- 5. Black and white photograph of a coloured
prints. The Monoprints were made between collage on canvas done in 1967.
July and November 1969. To indicate the 6. Black and white photograph of a paper clip
sort of materials on which they are based and painting done in 1968. The paper clips are in
from which they were literally made, here is a five different colours. They are arranged in
list of the items incorporated in two mono- rows with the colours strictly at random and
prints A and B. glued on to a 50 by 50 in. canvas. Two such
pictures were made, one on a white and one
MONOPRINT A on a black canvas, and ech picture contained
1. Torn sections from two of a series of mono- about 8000 clips.
prints done at Curwen Press in 1958. Four 7. A design for the book In the Head, a page of
hundred and fifty were produced on an offset which appears in Monoprint A, No. 2.
litho press using an indeterminate method 8. Test strip for colour prints of a mural done
which resulted in each print being different. at George Stephenson College, Watford. The
Not many were sold and Peter Schmidt kept panels were designed and executed by seven
some which he liked particularly. The rest, students from the foundation course at
together with a great many other prints and Watford School of Art in 1966. The overall
drawings, were cut up for pages of a book size of the mural is 8 by 40 ft. Each of the
The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts which will be seven panels has a background of a different
finished later this year. About twenty of these colour, and was painted in oil paints on a
were used in this series of Monoprints. plaster wall. The strip shows small sections
2. Page from the book In the Head published from various panels. q
in 1969 in an edition of 200 copies. The book JASIA REICHARDT
consists of 80 pages of black and white draw-
ings which were done straight on litho plates CONSIDERATIONS
and printed by a small commercial press. The 1. A desire which came over me after seeing a
books were bound with the help of Peter particularly beautiful sunset on the Cornish
Schmidt's students at Watford. The spare coast to produce a series of works in which
sheets were used in these Monoprints. areas of printed colour (sky) were interfered
3. Drawing of Peter Schmidt of himself with' with by things stuck on the surface (sea/land).
his son Simon in 1963. 2. A growing dissatisfaction with precise
4. Page from a GO magazine. Peter Schmidt painted surfaces. These cannot mature, the
played GO with considerable enthusiasm effect of time on them can only make them
between 1966 and 1968 at the London GO worse.
Club, reaching a handicap of thirty-seven. 3. The presence in the room in which I was
5. Page from a children's book Peterchen's working of a large amount of work done
Mondfahrt or Little Peter's journey to the Moon during the previous twenty years.
which Peter Schmidt was given at the age of 4. 4. A need to bring the different parts of my-
A number of pages from this and other self together. I had been waiting for some
children's books have found their way into subtle synthesis to emerge; instead, I just
these monoprints. shoved everything together.
6. Imaginary drawing in black ink on paper
done in Sicily in 1957, one of a series of forty. THE METHOD
7. Drypoint etching by Peter Schmidt, made Starting with 120 pieces of card, each piece
in his second year at the Slade in 1955. It was had things stuck on it (mostly my own old
done in two weeks, from the figure direct work, also reproductions, photographs, docu-
on to the plate. ments, pages from books), and was then over-
8. One of a series of eight illustrations in black printed with a rectangle of transparent silk-
ink on paper for a short story by Graham screen colour. Then more things were stuck
I, 2 and 3
Peter Schmidt Greene done in 1947. on, overprinted again, stuck on, printed again.
Monoprints Most of the Monoprints have three layers of
Price £40 each
Lisson Gallery, London MONOPRINT B collage and three layers of colour.
4 1. Peter Schmidt's curriculum vitae prepared In choosing the material to work with I tried
Peter Schmidt in 1968, which was submitted on his behalf to revisit and own up to every aspect of my
Title page from Im Kopf In the Head,
a book of drawings, 1968-69 to the Arts Council together with an applica- life. I found that the things that were most
Edition of 200 tion for a grant to finance the production of a painful to use were best to use. q
Price £10
Lisson Gallery, London series of large monoprints. Unfortunately, the PETER SCHMIDT
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