These blueprints drawn to scale of Gerzso's art work are original but usually NOT signed by the artist. They are a
complete collection of blueprints of all of his art work from 1968 to 2000. It was very unusual that he sold or gave away these drawings.
Provenance (that is, where they came from and who owned them): all of them were located in the
artist's studio until and after his death in 2000. They were then inventoried by the family, and in 2007 brought to
the United States and stored. They are owned by J. Michael Gerzso.
The blueprints/design drawings are for those collectors who movie, theater set or architectual designers. Scholars who specialize in
the design process will also be interested.
How to Buy:
request a quote by contacting J. Michael Gerzso at the email:
(the email address needs to be copied by hand, sorry for the inconvinience).
In your email
request, please indicate your payment method: PayPal or credit/debit cards processed by Helcim. For PayPal,
use the email address above. Otherwise you will receive instructions in an email for paying with a credit/debit card.
Included in your purchase will be a letter signed by J.M. Gerzso stating that the print is a Gerzso original.
Gunther Gerzso’s Blueprints (Design Drawings): His Record As Art of His Life’s Work.
March 1, 2024
Gunther Gerzso’s original ambition was to be a set designer in the theater. He ended up working on sets in the Mexican movie business for about 20 years until it collapsed during the 1950’s. After that, he was at a loss as to what to do even though he had always been painting on the side. He did not like the idea of becoming a full time artist, but he needed to make a living and the encouragement of his friends and family changed his mind. And yet, he could not give up drafting and designing as he had done in the movies. By 1966, he had developed a technique based on blueprints which he used for almost every work of art he produced. He combined his knowledge of the practice of design with his knowledge of painting. That is, art by design.
The common use of the term “blueprint” refers to a design drawn to scale ("a plan or design that explains how something might be achieved", Cambridge Dictionary). It is equivalent to a blueprint but not blue. In Gerzso's case, it may include color, shading or annotations, and it contains enough detail to make an object it represents or to develop construction drawings as used in architecture and engineering. It is the result of a creative process which is also known as “drawing to find out” (reference to Louis Kahn) and which occurs while making the drawing itself. The design process usually produces several variations which illustrate several patterns and possibilities.
All architectural, engineering, industrial, graphical, set etc. etc. designers frequently produce blueprints in one form or another. Their importance in the design process has been the subject of many lectures and voluminous writing by academics and professionals.
On the other hand, in my experience, non designers tend to conclude that sketches, blueprints and final drawings (portraits, perspectives etc.) are the same type of work. Discussing why they are different could be the subject of another note or essay.
In contrast to architectural practice, Gerzso never needed to produce final construction drawings because he executed the design himself. He was certainly capable of painting from a sketch, but he rarely did so. After beginning a work, he would not modify the geometry, basic colors or the texture. For prints and sculptures, he would work closely with the shop craftsmen. As a consequence, all completed works are accurately represented by a drawing. That is, for each work there one and only one drawing to scale. If on the other hand, he was not satisfied with a painting for example, we would destroy it and literally go back to the drawing board which was near his easel.
Gerzso drew on letter sized sheets of paper. Surrounding the drawing, he would write annotations of three types. The first one is a description: title, year, number, sometimes the client, etc. The second one is a specification: media, dimensions in centimeters, the scale drawn, and techniques to be used. The last type is a log: dates the painting was started and finished (sometimes it was never started or finished), if it was destroyed, and the techniques used. Logs were not included for prints and sculptures. Additional letter sized sheets were attached if needed.
The collection of blueprints by Gerzso provides a comprehensive, systematic and detailed record of the evolution of his art and technique over a period of 35 years. With it, we can acquire fundamental insights into what he did. They are also works of art which are designs of his works of art.
