Drawn to the woodcuts prints of late 19th century Edvard Munch (the artist best known for ‘The Scream’), Japanese artist Shiko Munakata and the work of William Blake, John Ryrie has established himself as an adept storyteller through the medium of printmaking. In ‘Ole Devil Moon’, he presents two figures in an impossible embrace.

Taking its name from the jazz standard that describes falling in love as a form of bewitchment, this work visualises the heady, all-consuming rapture of new love. While Ryrie’s figures wear expressions of serenity, their bodies fuse together like the roots of an ancient tree. Beneath the eye of the moon, all reason is lost to lust.

Ryrie is an esteemed printmaker. He was awarded the Grand Prize in the Silk Cut Award for Linocut Prints and a finalist in the Geelong acquisitive print awards, and is represented at the National Gallery of Australia. For collectors of contemporary prints and visual storytelling, ‘Ole Devil Moon’ is a powerful work.

John RYRIE (1961 - )
'Ole Devil Moon' 1999
linocut on paper
Edition of 40
Image Size: 41 x 27 cm
Dimensions: 56 x 44 cm
Signed: Signed 'John Ryrie', editioned, titled, dated under image
Comes with Letter of Provenance
Stamped by Chrysalis Publishing lower right corner. Smudging on top margin.
Condition: Excellent
(c) John Ryrie / Copyright Agency