Highlands II
- Date
- mid-1960s
- Material
- Woodcut
- Classification
- Prints
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- image: 11 1/2 × 24 3/4 in. (29.2 × 62.9 cm)
sheet: 25 1/2 × 38 3/4 in. (64.8 × 98.4 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of Yvette Drury Dubinsky and John Paul Dubinsky, Bill and Gina Wischmeyer, Dennis Cope, and Frank Schwaiger, in honor of Leslie J. Laskey's 100th birthday
- Rights
- © Estate of Leslie J. Laskey
- Object Number
- 48:2021
NOTES
Leslie Laskey’s Highlands woodcuts capture the dynamic curves of the Comet roller coaster at Forest Park Highlands amusement park. These prints exemplify Laskey’s decades-long exploration of the woodcut medium and the principles of abstraction. In each print Laskey approached his subject with a different attitude toward abstraction. Highlands conveys a vivid sense of movement with abstract swirling lines. Highlands II includes more structural details that emphasize the architectural complexity of the 3,120-foot roller coaster.
Forest Park Highlands was a popular destination for St. Louisans from its inception in the 1890s until it was destroyed by fire in 1963. The Comet, inaugurated in 1941, survived the fire but was dismantled in 1966, making way for the St. Louis Community College-Forest Park campus, which still occupies the site.
Laskey was professor of design in the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis from 1956–1987. He remained a leader in the St. Louis arts scene for over six decades. A group of his friends donated these woodcuts to the Saint Louis Art Museum as a tribute to his extraordinary contributions. Laskey passed away on June 17, 2021, just two weeks shy of his 100th birthday.
Forest Park Highlands was a popular destination for St. Louisans from its inception in the 1890s until it was destroyed by fire in 1963. The Comet, inaugurated in 1941, survived the fire but was dismantled in 1966, making way for the St. Louis Community College-Forest Park campus, which still occupies the site.
Laskey was professor of design in the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis from 1956–1987. He remained a leader in the St. Louis arts scene for over six decades. A group of his friends donated these woodcuts to the Saint Louis Art Museum as a tribute to his extraordinary contributions. Laskey passed away on June 17, 2021, just two weeks shy of his 100th birthday.
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