1920s Margaret Preston print, “Letter A”, Kookaburra, antique framed art

Genuine rare 1920s two-colour period print made directly from the woodblock by Margaret Preston, published in Art in Australia by Sydney Ure Smith.

This Initial Letter forms part of a series of woodblocks designed and carved by Preston to be incorporated in the printer’s letter press process for Art in Australia. The journal impressions were issued in different two-colour combinations.

Preston’s Initial Letters are particularly interesting examples of her developing engagement with distinctly Australian imagery. The letter “A” incorporates Australian motifs, including a prominent kookaburra, within Preston’s bold, highly simplified woodblock design.

Reference: Roger Butler (Art Historian) catalogues the original as a woodblock print and records its reproduction in Art in Australia in several two-colour combinations.

16cm x 16cm frame

5.5cm x 5.5cm artwork

“One of Australia’s most significant artists, Margaret Preston was a key figure in the development of modern art in Sydney from the 1920s to the 1950s. Renowned for her paintings and woodcuts of local landscapes and native flora, she was an outspoken public voice on Australian culture and championed a distinctly Australian style, based on the principles and motifs of modernist, Aboriginal and Asian art.”