Engraving exhibit set Aug. 24-Dec. 17

Wood engraving by John DePol for “California Flora” by Elizabeth May McClintock, San Francisco, Book Club of California, 1995.

4:08 p.m., July 20, 2004--An exhibit showcasing the wood engravings and tools of renowned artist John DePol will be on display in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery in the Morris Library from Tuesday, Aug. 24, through Friday, Dec. 17.

“John DePol: Artist and Engraver” presents an overview of DePol’s work and includes a collection of his drawings, paintings, lithographs and wood engravings from his days as a student in the 1930s up through his heyday as a master engraver and teacher.

Iris Snyder, associate librarian in the Morris Library’s Special Collections Department, assembled the exhibition with works from the library’s recently acquired archival collection of the papers of John DePol.

“This exhibition offers an in-depth look at a national treasure in the field of printmaking,” Susan Brynteson, May Morris Director of Libraries, said.

From “Anthology of Delaware Papermaking” with four wood engravings by John DePol, Oak Knoll Books, 1991.

A related lecture at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30, in the Reserve Room of the Morris Library, will shed further light on DePol’s work and will feature guest speaker David R. Godine, founder and president of David R. Godine Publisher, a fine arts specialty press in Boston. The free lecture, “Five Decades of the Burin: The Wood Engravings of John DePol,” is open to the public and will be followed by a reception.

The exhibition and lecture were planned in conjunction with both the 28th Annual Conference of the American Printing History Association, which will be held Thursday and Friday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, at the University of Delaware Library, and with the Oak Knoll Fest, slated for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2-3, at the Oak Knoll bookstore on Delaware Street in New Castle.

Both events are cosponsored by the University of Delaware Library and the University of Delaware Library Associates. For more information, call the Office of the Director of Libraries at (302) 831-2231.

Article by Becca Hutchinson

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