Len Agrella "Attitude Dancing" (Tribal Dance) Original 2024 Stone Lithograph Limited Edition signed

"Attitude Dancing" (Tribal Dance)

by Len Agrella

Original Stone Lithograph on White Arches Fine Art Paper

Southwest Graphics Number 81-163

Hand signed by the artist in pencil

Paper Size: 18" X 13 3/4"

Image Size: 18" X 13 3/4"

1981

Edition size: 50

Edition Number: SGI (Southwest Graphics Impression)

Excellent condition

Certificate of Authenticity is included

This original stone lithograph was printed at Southwest Graphics Workshop in Scottsdale Arizona in 1981.

What is an original stone lithograph?

When an artist creates a work of art on a stone plate, they make what is known as an original stone "lithograph." Because this is a highly specialized process, an original stone lithograph is NOT a reproduction but rather a one-of-a-kind unique piece of artwork. Lithography, or "stone art," was first used around 1789 and is based on the simple physical principle that oil and water do not mix. To create a lithograph, artists often draw an image in reverse on limestone with crayons. The stone is then dampened with water, which is repelled by the greasy medium wherever the artist has drawn their art on the stone. Afterwards, the stone is pressed with a massive roller loaded with oily ink which adheres to the greasy areas of the design, but is repelled by the wet areas of bare stone. Following this, the paper is pressed to the stone and the ink is transferred onto the paper. In a color lithograph, a different stone is used for each color where the stone must be re-inked every time the image is pressed onto the paper. Most modern lithographs are signed and numbered to establish an edition of the print.

An offset lithograph, also known as a limited edition print, is a reproduction by a mechanical process where the artist has in no way contributed to the making of an original print: that is, they have not designed the plate. Instead, printings, drawings, and watercolors are photo-mechanically reproduced. Very often an artist signs a number of these "reproductions," but they are not true original lithographs.

Len Agrella
“No one introduced me to the arts,” says Len Agrella. “When I was young, I went to the Chicago Art Institute and saw a showing of French Impressionists. I was so fascinated by the texture of those paintings that I went home and tried to do the same thing. I put the paint on very thick.”

The paint never did dry, but his fascination with painting stayed with him through various odd jobs that ran the gamut from stuntman to lumberjack to professional sports, as well as a tour with the Airforce.

In the late 1950's, a desire to become an actor took him to Hollywood, into actor's school, and work in theatre and films. Eventually the realization came that art was the driving force in his life. He started to paint again. The work he produced was very different from that of the past, and was accepted quickly.

Encouraged, Agrella moved to Arizona in the early sixties and settled down to painting in earnest. Developing a highly realistic, almost classical style, he became a traditional western artist and produced a long series of western paintings and bronzes. But neither form provided Agrella with the freedom to work within the image.

Using techniques learned in sculpture, Agrella turned to the design and creation of boldly innovative contemporary jewelry. For nearly three years his brushes went untouched.

When he returned to painting in 1975, sculpture and jewelry having freed him from the confines of his earlier realistic style, Agrella experimented with dimensional canvases. This led to a very popular long series of mask paintings portraying spirits and symbols from centuries-old Indian mythologies. These magic imbued myths intrigued Agrella and played a strong role in the development of the Agrella statement. The transition of the Agrella style has been breathtaking, and he continues to experiment with style and technique.

He comments, “The function of the artist is to provide what life does not. Logic gives man what he needs, but magic gives him what he wants. I truly believe in the artist as magician. Magic is the art in art. The point where you 2024 begin dealing with matters of the spirit and communicating an essence is where the magic comes in.”

“I regard myself as a southwestern contemporary OUTSIDER artist. If I lived in the Midwest or East, I would still be a contemporary artist, but I live in the southwest and am very influenced by the area”

One common denominator has remained constant. The notion of a certain intensity and purity of vision, a never quite defined, yet palpable freshness of invention or what is called “raw creation”, or untutored creativity.

Len Agrella currently lives and works in Prescott, Arizona.

From Len Agrella Biography and Background

Shipping Information
SHIPPED in tube within the continental US.



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