Dutch Mills -- CARLI Digital Collections Featured Image

Dutch Mills is striking because of its simplicity. It is a triptych of sketches of a pair of windmills. The left panel reveals the most detail, with the central windmill outlined clearly against the sky, and the second windmill is a hazy silhouette in the background. The middle panel is hastily sketched, giving a mere impression of the mills and an overcast sky. Finally, the right panel is drawn with heavy black lines, lending a weight to the composition. Together the three versions provide a glimpse into the workings of the artist and the many ways one might approach a simple subject.

Dutch Mills is a one-color lithograph dated 1989 by artist Buzz Spector. Spector is a Chicago native and an internationally recognized artist who works in a variety of mediums, including photography, printmaking and sculpture. He is currently a Professor of Art at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

The image is part of the Normal Editions Workshop (N.E.W.) Archive at Illinois State University. N.E.W. is a non-profit research facility founded in 1976 that provides custom printing services for artists across the country. It is closely affiliated with the ISU College of Fine Arts and located near the printmaking studios in the Center for the Visual Arts building on the ISU campus. The N.E.W. Archive digital collection showcases just some of the celebrated artists who have collaborated with the Workshop throughout its history.

Written by Alice Creason, Systems/Digital Collections Librarian at Lewis University