Merrill Shatzman American (b.1956) The Romance screen print on paper each sheet signed lower right and numbered 12/20, titled on center sheet, center bottom three canvas' together: 30 x 53 1/4 in. (76.2 x 135.3 cm.), Frame: 38 1/4 x 80 1/4 in. (97.2 x 203.8 cm.) Merrill Shatzman Artist Statement: I focus on the manipulation of my surfaces. Printmaking becomes a vehicle for my means to an end, as I incorporate my printing process into different iterations of my ideas, thus expanding upon my initially envisioned piece. My prints have evolved into unique pieces, evoking the viewer?s curiosity, demanding to be read as a map, landscape, or visual text that must be decoded through imaginative interpretation. With no natural focal point within the expanse of pattern, and form, the viewer?s eye ?flows? continuously, following the lines and seeing a variety of intricate structures and relationships. I am drawn to written languages that use extinct characters or ones that are unreadable to me. Exclusive of my work done in collaborative undertakings, my prints celebrate the beauty and graphic qualities of signs, glyphs and written forms. I merge these marks with aspects of calligraphy, typography, lines and shapes into an amalgamated written language of my own. My abstract forms, customarily contained within an entangled matrix, allude to signs and systems that are almost legible and familiar in their characters. Yet, they are as unreadable as any unfamiliar glyph. Through layering, I create unique combinations of visually patterned ?tapestries?, resulting in rich, actively woven surfaces that suggest hidden codes and messages. Being highly aware of the communicative qualities of the signs and glyphs, my primary focus is on form, movement, and context. My use of interwoven organizational systems and coding reflects my interests in urban planning, architecture, cartography, and methods of wayfinding. The pathways found within my grids are unending, creating labyrinths with no exits. Like my cryptic letterforms, the mazes emphasize the complexity of my imagery, its formal qualities, and the challenge of decoding enigmatic written systems https://merrillshatzman.com/about/

The Condition Report states Abell Auction's reasonable opinion as to the lot?s general condition in the terms stated in the particular report, and Abell does not represent or guarantee that a Condition Report includes all aspects of the internal or external condition of the Lot. Abell does not owe the buyer any obligation to report on the condition of the lot and makes no guarantee the condition will be given for the lot. Abell attempts to provide accurate descriptions and images of products online. It is the buyer's responsibility to review all of the information provided about a lot before placing a bid. The buyer acknowledges that the products are sold on an ?as-is? basis.