Six Bardos: Hymn (Behind the Sun)

2018

Six Bardos: Hymn (Behind the Sun), 2018. Julie Mehretu (American, b. 1970), Case Hudson (American, b. 1968), Gemini G.E.L.. Color aquatint; image: 127.6 x 186.1 cm (50 1/4 x 73 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund and partial gift of Stephen Dull 2020.285 © Julie Mehretu Ethiopian-born contemporary artist Julie Mehretu draws from a wide range of source material, including maps, architectural renderings, found photography, and current events to create abstract images composed of gestural lines and forms. This print belongs to a series inspired by a trip to China’s Mogao Caves, each of which bear a title taken from Bardos—liminal states between life and death in Buddhism. Drawing from imagery such as calligraphy and ancient cave painting, the artist worked with a master printer to produce the etching in a large scale meant to create an absorptive experience for its viewer. The prints of the series to which this work belongs are among the largest prints ever created by their publisher, Gemini G.E.L.