Collection: Eric Goldberg

(1946 – 2021)

Eric Goldberg was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1946. He studied at Parsons School of Design, The New School for Social Research, New York University and New Mexico University. He taught painting, printmaking and drawing at colleges and universities for over thirty years. He presently paints and prints in his studio in Philadelphia, PA.

Goldberg is a painter and printmaker known for his enigmatic imagery in a range of media. His drawing abilities can be seen in his use of line, the intricate details of his work and the subtle complexity of his patterns and value variations. His etchings and aquatints are often multi-plate color as well as hand colored. The aquatints are meticulously hand polished, creating a subtle variety of tones when run through his etching press.

He is a member of The Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA), Los Angeles Printmakers Society, The Printmakers Network of Southern New England and is a member of the Executive Board of The Boston Printmakers.

Goldberg’s prints and paintings have been extensively exhibited in the United States and abroad. His award-winning work is held by many private, corporate and public collections. Most recently a number of his works have been added to the collections of The National Museum of Fine Arts of The Republic of China, The Sakima Art Museum, Okinawa, Japan and The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.  Numerous works have also been added to the collection of The Boston Athenaeum.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
My imagination is fueled by the world around me, by places and people and the thoughts and feelings they evoke. I make images which express these concepts and emotions. I want my images to convey both the natural world and deeper truths, which are wordless and need to be expressed through metaphor.

Drawing is the method in which my image making begins and through which it evolves. Whether the source of the work is from direct observation, a photo I have taken or from my imagination, it is always initially expressed as a drawing. Ultimately, the work may become an etching or a painting, but at its core is always drawing. Drawing has a tactile directness that connects the mind and the hand. It is a two-way connection where the drawing evokes thought and thought evokes drawing. An unintentional gesture of the hand can change the concept in a direction that the mind alone would not have traveled.

Etching on a copper plate is, by its very nature, a process with many steps from its beginning through its completion. It is a process which is well suited to my way of working. I am able to develop a drawing which evolves as it proceeds.  Values and forms, must be decided, resolved and executed during the drawing. Patterns, made from lines, cross lines and stipples become spontaneously obvious to me while I work. Patterns and values can be built and enhanced by the layering of successive etches. When the plate is inked and printed, the inverted image becomes an entity onto itself; the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Painting adds liquidity to my drawing process. The lines and strokes glide across the surface, creating possibilities unachievable with pencil or etching tool. The surface I am painting on also evolves as the painting progresses. At first you are painting on a gesso surface and soon you are painting on other layers of previously applied paint. Sometimes I am painting on fresh paint and the layers can be blended. At other times, painting on a dried layer of paint gives me the chance to create transparency or use the paint opaquely.