JOHNODONNELLprojects
Addendum to the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae
My work in the printmaking studio and academic research is an addendum to a 16th-century print collection called the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae, a visual guide to the grandeur of ancient Rome. Its detailed illustrations of Roman art and architecture serve as a reference for scholars, artists, and architects.
I acknowledge the generous support of the University of Connecticut School of Fine Arts Research Grant and the Office of the Vice President for Research in helping to make this project possible.
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Roman Forum Green Screen
2020-2021
suite of copper plate etchings
7x9 inches
The prints depict structures unearthed and aesthetically arranged in the early 20th century after excavations. This process merges technology from 16th-century copper engraving with new plastic-based intaglio approaches to combine color and black line work, referencing greenscreen technology and the latent anticipation of chroma key color presence.
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Set Foot in Rome: New Vedute
2022-2024
suite of copper plate etchings
9x7 inches
This project reimagines copper plate printmaking through drawing and performance, using body weight and gesture to imprint site-specific marks on copper surfaces, capturing images of Rome’s iconic sites. This performative process incorporates improvised drawing tools, using found rock fragments for precise linework instead of a traditional scribe.
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Pantheon in the Rain
2022
suite of plastic plate intaglio prints
7x9 inches
This series uses a color surface roll over an intaglio-inked plastic plate. Drawn on location, it aims to document the atmosphere of the Pantheon in the rain. The intention is to capture fragments of the whole, similar to an informational document, but infused with gesture and tone.
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Forum of Nerva Panorama
2022
Marker on tracing paper 18x10 inches
Images are individual drawings of the Forum of Nerva in Rome. They are assepbled in to a panorama of a site in Rome. Preparation for a screen printing. Onsite drawing observational in preparation for a screen printed vedute (view) of an ancient site is another effort to merge traditional approaches with contemporary technology to represent locations in Rome.
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Slime Capitols
2023
suite of plastic plate intaglio prints
7x9 inches
This is a series of prints based on the format of architectural documentation from 17th-century printmakers, who cataloged and measured the features and ornamentation of ancient buildings. These prints merge classical forms with viscous features that melt like slime, commenting on the fluidity of architectural ideas, gestural drawing, and the hard reality of marble and brick.
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Cartoon Rome
2021-2023
Series of drawings
approx 14x11 inches
Observational techniques and the aesthetics of a single-panel comic strip guide this series of drawings. The work merges a stylized illustration sensibility with the documentation of cultural and archaeological sites in Rome.