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During the 1960s Newman turned to printmaking
for the first time. This series of lithographs, titled 18
Cantos, openly expresses his great fondness for music.
In his earlier career he had written music reviews as well
as art criticism. He likened the printing process he used
to playing a musical instrument, and said of the Cantos:
'I have 'played' hoping to evoke every possible instrumental
lick...each one different in form, mood, colour, beat, scale
and key.'
After the heroic scale of his paintings, the
limited dimensions of the lithographic press offered a contrasting
challenge. Colours, composition, and the margins of differently
sized sheets of paper offered many possible permutations,
combining to create a chorus of effects. 'Each can stand by
itself,' Newman commented, 'But its fullest meaning, it seems
to me, is when it is seen together with the others.' He dedicated
the Cantos to his wife, Annalee, with whom he had
shared a passion for music since their courtship. The painting
in this room contains another musical reference. The title
Queen of the Night II is taken from the villainess
in Mozart's The Magic Flute.
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