b/w mezzotint
1997
4 1/2 x 6 15/16
edition 75
signed in pencil
Play Ball! No. 27 unleashes a mighty swing at the ball. Both umpire and catcher are in their huddled crouch. "Swing" is an exclusive publication of Stone and Press Gallery by Art Werger. Was this Scott Rolen, Carlton Fisk, Vladimir Guerrero or even Juan Marichal, all great players who wore #27. Today's players wearing 27 include Mike Trout and Jose Altuve
Art Werger’s lyrical suburban scenes are evocative of boyhood summer evenings while his city images are fraught with tension and isolation. Many of his mezzotints show the influence of film noire genre movies as well as paying tribute to the cinematic techniques of Alfred Hitchcock. In describing his work, Werger says “the people are seen in casual activities which dominate their daily routines, often preoccupied or oblivious to their situations. They are often observed from an elevated point so that the environment lays out in front of the viewer. The viewer becomes an omniscient voyeur, privy to the world below, yet curiously removed from it. As a cinematic device, this abstract angle allows for an overview of the scene as well as an introduction to the characters within the environment. The characters’ actions are intended to suggest a narrative which requires the viewer’s participation to be resolved.”
