Scrap Metal Drypoint #6

In 1974, Michael Heizer returned to working in two-dimensional media, which he had set aside in order to work on his better-known "earthworks," vast carved-out interventions in remote areas of the American West. This print extends several concerns he brought to his earthworks, including his continued use of found materials: here, scrap metal rather than landscape. The artist had the scrap plates cut into shapes, incorporating the already heavily scored, scratched, and rust-roughened surface of the found metal to achieve the final composition. Here, Heizer also continues to work on a mammoth scale: this is an exceptionally large print that used the maximum capacity of both paper and press.