Venetian Filigree
Date1931
Mediumetching on paper
DimensionsPlate: 10 3/4 × 10 3/4 inches (27.3 × 27.3 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase.
Object number1934.10
Copyright© Estate of John Taylor Arms, Jr.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextBorn in Washington, D.C., Arms was trained as an architect at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but devoted himself to the graphic arts from 1919 onward. He is considered to be one of the leading printmakers of the first half of the twentieth century. Admired for his exceptional technical skills, he included very minute details in his etchings, sometimes using the aid of a magnifying glass and a sewing needle. Arms helped inspire a resurgence in realism during the advent of modernism, which privileged abstract and non-objective approaches.
Arms believed that Gothic architecture, which united spiritual and aesthetic values, was humanity’s greatest achievement. He traveled extensively to England, France, and Italy in order to visit the sites he would render. In addition to medieval architecture, he also rendered scenes of Maine and a series of American cities.Subject MatterVenice, Italy
