Merry Christmas 2025!
Subject: „Winter Scene in Three Shapes“
The artwork, entitled “Winter Scene in Three Shapes,”, depicts, as the title suggests, an abstract winter landscape constructed from the geometric shapes of circles, triangles, and rectangles. The composition of the shapes is based on the golden ratio, but is deliberately counteracted by an asymmetrical arrangement. Another notable element is the free-swinging line that embraces the geometry of the image and separates the sky from the horizon.
The color scheme of the scene is characterized by the contrast between a deep blue and a warm yellow that shines from inside the implied house and on the horizon. Behind it stand two silent pine trees in a calm green. The inspiration for this composition comes from Wassily Kandinsky’s important 1926 publication “Point and Line to Plane”, which I have been studying this year.
Printing technique: Linocut - Reduction printing
I chose linocut as my printing technique because linoleum is easy to work with by hand. To keep the edition as exclusive as possible, I chose the special technique of reduction printing, which was also popularly used by Picasso.
Reduction printing uses a single printing plate, which is continuously worn away with each layer of ink. This means that the printing plate changes permanently and cannot be reused. Reprinting additional copies is only possible in a new edition with a newly carved printing plate. The process requires very precise planning of the individual layers, as the colors are printed on top of each other. The order of the layers and the removal of the plate determines which areas are ultimately visible in which color. In addition, the work must be as precise as possible so that all layers are printed congruently. The design “Winter Scene in Three Forms” was printed in four layers.
Production process: From sketch to art print
The journey from the first sketch to the finished art print involved many steps and spanned several weeks. I began by creating the design with a pencil and a set square. To do this, I cut a sheet of paper to the desired final size and experimented with the arrangement of circles, triangles, and rectangles in relation to one another. The first elements to take shape were the rectangles, which hint at the cropped-off house (it was important to me to establish a connection to architecture). Little by little, the motif took shape. I added new elements and removed others until I had a harmonious image in front of me that felt right. The next step was to find a suitable color scheme. Using colored pencils and digitally in Photoshop, I experimented with various color schemes and ultimately settled on a minimalist palette of blue and yellow (also primary colors from the Bauhaus tradition). I added the color green later to give the image additional depth and a sense of calm.
This was followed by the printing process itself. First, I transferred the sketch in reversed form onto the linoleum printing plate. To do this, I covered the sheet with pastel chalk and traced the lines on the back. Then I began carving out the white areas where no ink was to be printed. I used a cutting tool to carefully carve the fine lines into the plate. Once the plate was prepared, I built a printing frame the same height as the printing plate so that the paper wouldn’t crease during printing. Using a guide the size of the paper, I ensured that all sheets could be printed in the same position. Then the actual printing process began. I spread the slightly viscous linoleum print ink on a glass plate and applied an even layer of ink to the printing plate. Next, I placed the plate in the press and laid the paper on top. Using a cloth, I pressed the paper firmly and evenly against the plate and then carefully peeled it back off. This process was repeated for each layer, with a one-day drying period in between. The image was printed in the order of yellow, black, blue, and green. The final steps involved signing, numbering, and labeling the prints.
Art print: Florian Kaiser-Winter, “Winter Scene in Three Forms,” 2025
The art print “Winter Scene in Three Forms” (2025) was hand-printed using gum arabic-based aqua linocut ink on 300 gsm Hahnemühle paper. The paper format is 18 cm × 24 cm. The print area measures 15 cm × 21 cm and is surrounded by a 1.5 cm border. The edition is limited to 25 numbered and hand-signed copies.