Adored by collectors and art lovers the world over, Alex Katz is renowned for his elegant and distinctive version of figuration. Born in 1927, Katz has been dedicated to art-making since the 1950's - however it wasn't until the 60's when he established his signature 'flat' aesthetic. Over the succeeding decades, Katz kept the tradition of figurative painting alive when it was long considered out of style. Printmaking has always been an essential part of his process, and an integral part of his oeuvre. 

With a deep and direct connection to the poets of the New York School, Katz has engaged collaboratively with its' members throughout his career. This work is from the A Tremor in the Morning portfolio, which was a collaborative project that Katz completed with his son, the esteemed poet Vincent Katz. Shockingly direct, the prints are monochromatic woodcuts, stark and informative. Each image features a couple from Katz' artistic cannon. Providing romantic context to the poetic components, the woodcuts are simultaneously decisive and questioning--as they ponder the prose:

..."Do you think the end of the world
will come at dawn or at night?"

Each woodcut from the portfolio conveys a sense of tension and mystery--a feeling that is not uncommon when viewing Katz's work. Carter and Phyllis are calm, cool, and collected. They share a quotidian yet intimate moment together, Carter extending a lit match to a cigarette that Phyllis holds to her mouth. He stares intently, focusing on the task at hand, while she closes her eyes, savouring the moment. In this evocative and intimate woodcut, Katz has conveyed the care, drama, and spark that exists in mundane activities.

Editions of "Carter and Phyllis" are in the collections of the MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum.

Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.

"Carter and Phyllis" from A Tremor in the Morning

A Tremor in the Morning is a portfolio of ten woodcuts by Alex Katz, including a book containing poems by Vincent Katz and eleven linoleum cuts by Alex Katz.

USA, 1986

Woodcut on Rives BFK paper

Signed and numbered in pencil, lower left of image

Edition: 45 Arabic numerals, 5 Roman numerals

This print is edition "15/45"

12"H 12"W (image)

20.25"H 20"W (sheet)

23.75"H 23.25"W (framed)

Printed by Chip Elwell, Chip Elwell Fine Prints, New York

Published by Peter Blum Editions, New York

Literature:
- Alex Katz: Catalogue Raisonné, prints: 1947-2023, listed as cat. no. 196 alongside the woodcuts in the A Tremor in the Morning portfolio (cat. nos. 189-198) on pages 190-191. 
- exh. cat. New York 1987, cat. nos. 53-62
- Blum 2001, cat. nos. 12-21

Notes: cf. the cutout and the painting The Light 1 (1975; Sandler 1979, pl. 192-93) and the painting The Light 3 (1975; Sandler 1979, pl. 195).