”Generative Middle Age”

Description

Vasyl Savchenko, “Generative Middle Age”, vol. I
etching on Fabriano Rosaspina 285 g/m², paper size 25 × 18 cm, plate size 10 × 10 cm and 10 × 15 cm, box no. 7/15, Gdańsk, 2021

“Generative Middle Ages – Basics” is a limited publication of original prints, prepared as a portfolio folder in an edition of 15 copies. Each box is unique and contains 14 original, hand-printed etchings.
About the project
The Middle Ages are an intriguing epoch in the history of Europe, lasting from the 5th to the 15th century. They began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and continued until the era of the Renaissance and the great geographical discoveries. In the traditional division of European history, the Middle Ages are situated between antiquity and modernity and are usually divided into three periods: the Early, High and Late Middle Ages.
The presented works are the result of initial research into the phenomenon of post-digital etching. They enter into a dialogue with the motifs and lines of medieval woodcuts by master Albrecht Dürer – one of the fundamental figures in the history of artistic printmaking. The themes of the prints are drawn mainly from books and religious imagery from various collections dating from 1488–1505.
In this series, the artist confronts the heritage of the Middle Ages with contemporary everyday culture, the culture of algorithms, computer control of numerical devices and the experience of time. The resulting etchings are partially generated using computer code in the Processing environment and partially created through hand drawing. In this way, the memory of the culture and aesthetics of paper and print is given a chance to continue its existence in the post-digital world where tradition and technology coexist.