Arthur Getz: Etching of a Fallen Goldfinch

Reader Skip Van Lenten writes of an original etching, Fallen Goldfinch, given to him decades ago by New Yorker cover artist Arthur Getz:

I knew Arthur when I lived in Kent, Ct. My wife did some modeling for him, and he taught me a few things in his studio in Sharon.

At my request, Sarah Getz comments on her father's etchings:

Sometime in the 1980s—when his eyesight was failing—Arthur became re-interested in etching (which he’d dabbled in at Pratt), and invested in a small press, which he installed in his kitchen. He produced many etchings, mostly landscapes or natural scenes, including the one Skip owns. It was a study of a dead bird, which Arthur stored in his freezer while he was doing the detail work. Don’t ask how I found out; he also did a similar etching of a dead rabbit called “rabbit resting after reading the Sunday New York Times," so you get the idea about culinary pursuits at my dad’s house.

He used his etchings as gifts for many of his friends, as well as for holiday cards, etc. I still have the original etching plates for most of the work...

She further notes that her father did not harm any animals to make these etchings.

Seriously, I think my dad used roadkill.

Arthur Getz, Fallen Goldfinch, Artist's Proof

Note:  Thanks to Skip Van Lenten for sharing his etching with us. His website can be found here.

Thanks also to Sarah Getz. The Arthur Getz website is here.

Last week my old blog posts about reading those first issues of the New Yorker were mentioned on Ink Spill here.

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