Ed Ruscha: Woman on Fire
Published by Hamilton Press in 2024, this lithograph by Ed Ruscha depicts the words that comprise its title in full-bleed color on deckle-edged Rives BFK paper. The phrase first appeared in Ruscha’s practice in a painting from 1990, followed by a work on paper in 2018. In this lithograph he renders it in a style related to that of his “swiped” word paintings, which suggest that their verbal subjects are in rapid motion. The apparent urgency of the scenario being described is emphasized by the visual drama of Ruscha’s graphic treatment, the lettering’s vivid red standing out against a spattered pink ground.
Over the course of a more than sixty-year career, Ruscha has assembled a broad lexicon of symbols, images, and words drawn from vernacular American culture. Using a range of mediums, he continues to deploy his wry wit to explore the frequent disconnect between ideas and their expression.
Artist: Ed Ruscha
Date: 2024
Medium: 3-color lithograph on paper
Dimensions: 20 × 30 inches (50.8 × 76.2 cm)
Edition: Edition 30/50
Signed: Signed, numbered, and dated on recto
Printer: Hamilton Press
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Framed: Sold unframed
