Coq d'or
1945
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph in blue
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1946.21.18
Art Historical Context
This 1945 lithograph titled "Coq d'or" by Alfred Bendiner is a fine example of mid-20th-century American printmaking. Printed in a single blue ink, the work demonstrates the artist's command of lithography to create a cohesive, atmospheric image with rich tonal depth. The French title, meaning "Golden Cockerel," adds an element of intrigue, possibly evoking a symbolic or decorative motif drawn from folklore. Lithography, a planographic process invented in 1796, allows the artist to draw directly on stone or plate so that ink adheres only to the image areas. Bendiner used this method to achiev...
About the Artist
Alfred Bendiner
Alfred Bendiner (July 23, 1899 – March 19, 1964) was a Philadelphia-based architect, artist, caricaturist, and writer whose career demonstrated a rare synthesis of technical precision and wit. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Hungarian immigrant parents, Bendiner moved with his family to Philadelphia, where he attended the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Arts before serving in the mil...