Waxing Poetic

Published in conjunction with an exhibition devoted to the encaustic medium, Waxing Poetic: Encaustic Art in America examines a painting method first used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The word “encaustic” derives from the Greek term “enkaustikos,” meaning “to burn in.” The basic technique calls for dry pigments to be mixed with molten wax on a warm palette and applied to any ground or surface. A heat source is passed close to the surface, burning in and fusing the colors. Currently enjoying a widespread revival among painters, sculptors, and even printmakers, the encaustic medium’s resurgence has been bolstered by the availability of commercially prepared paints and the availability of electrically heated equipment.

In this lavishly illustrated volume, featuring more than 100 art works, Gail Stavitsky examines the twentieth-century encaustic renaissance. She discusses the work of such well-known artists as Jasper Johns, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Lyndia Vengalis, and many others who have turned to this ancient medium to express their aesthetic, philosophical, and environmental concerns. The other two essays in this volume are “Encaustic Painting and Revivals: A History of Discord and Discovery” by Danielle Rice and “Encaustic Painting as a Contemporary Paint Medium” by Richard Frumess.