American Monotypes from the Baker/Pisano Collection | Page 12

impression. Examples like his Recess (page 53) are typical of his
frequent preference for lower-contrast images, perhaps in emulation of the largely monochromatic works of James McNeill
Whistler (American, 1834–1903). Prendergast’s many surviving
monotypes often show more clearly the texture of the supporting paper, and occasionally, as here, the slight sparkle of the
Japanese paper he favored: a delicate mulberry paper made with
a sprinkling of mica to give it minute reflective specks.

including Chase and Duveneck experimented with the technique and many of their students would develop their own styles
in monotype and pass on the technique to others. It became a
familiar part of art practice and a relatively painless method to
introduce artists to the complexities of printmaking. Through
the twentieth century, artists continued to come to the technique, changing it to suit themselves.

Mary Cassatt’s (American, 1844–1926) pastel counterproof,
Portrait of a Young Woman in Green (page 23), is another example
of the possibilities that artists can explor