A Tour-de-Force of Twentieth-Century American Graphic Art
(FINE PRESS). DOYLE, John L. The Human Race. Portfolio One: The Counselors. (Milwaukee: Fishy Whale Press, 1983) With introductory leaf and colophon leaf, plus 20 lithographs. (Lithographs: 30 3/8 x 22 1/4") First Edition. One of 150 copies. Unbound as issued, housed in the original light brown faux-leather clamshell case, upper cover with gilt lettering. With 20 original lithographs hand-printed by Roland Poska: 10 in color on BFK Rives paper, and 10 monochrome proofs on handmade color paper. Each print titled and signed by the artist. Small dings to case; contents pristine.
An ambitious fine press work devoted to one man's visual and philosophical interpretation of human civilization.
This suite of lithographic prints belongs to the artist's monumental, long-term artistic project, "The Great Human Race," which grew out of his study of ethnology and anthropology. John L. Doyle sought to render his observations of human civilization into a visual record, transforming his drawings and research into a series of images concerned with the organization, expressions, and fixations of human society. The project consists of four separately published suites issued by the Fishy Whale Press between 1980-85 (there was also a "Collector's Edition" of 60 prints published in 1978), each of which is devoted to a different institution or discipline, namely, Medicine, Business, Architecture, and Law.
The present work, titled "The Counselors," conveys concepts related to law, justice, and truth through stylized illustrations of historical advisors and authority figures. "Wisdom," for example, is represented by an Aztec magistrate protected by the god Quetzalcoatl; and "Obligation" is visualized as a samurai carrying his family crest. Each figure is richly clad and imposing, embodying the dignity and solemnity of their stations. The compositions are both meticulously conceived and fantastical, often combining familiar structures and images with distorted symbols, strange juxtapositions, and a mythic atmosphere. Each lithograph in this series appears twice: printed in color on BFK Rives paper, and printed in black ink only on color paper.
John L. Doyle (1939-2010) was educated at the Art Institute of Chicago and Northern Illinois University. His work reflects an eclectic style and multicultural influences. According to the Canon Museum of Art, "He has favored printmaking, in particular, lithography as a medium; the challenge of the exacting technical demands is what interests him most." Printer Roland Poska (1938-2017) was a master printer, pioneering paper maker, and a cofounder of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. He founded the Fishy Whale Press in 1961, which was particularly renowned for its lithography. Not someone to shy away from large projects, Poska once created a 270-foot painting for Rockford, Illinois' Main Street.
Given the scarcity of the edition and the likelihood that individual prints have been separated and dispersed, intact examples of this work (or any of the suites in the series) are difficult to find on the market. Our copy includes an envelope containing copies of 20 "Edition Documentation Records," signed by both Doyle and Poska, providing additional documentation relating to the production and edition. Please note that this item will require additional shipping charges due to its size.
