Joel Peter Witkin, Mismatched Love,
from the boxed set, Bourgeoisie in De Nile, 2006 (etching, 18″ x 24″)

Using Random.org’s number generator this morning I found this print, Mismatched Love, by photographer Joel Peter Witkin. It is from the ten print suite Bourgeoisie in De Nile that Witkin produced at Landfall Press in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2006. In this work a devil figure caresses a woman’s breast while she appears to kiss his cheek. On the right, heavy lines insinuate where another figure has perhaps been eradicated. The mixture of thick and thin lines in this etching create lights and darks with minimal marks. Witkin has also printed the title in the plate backwards perhaps having written the title right-facing on the metal plate. The mirroring of the title makes the process of printmaking come to mind and creates more interest in the print and how it was produced.

BMG