Getting to Know the British West Indies pl3 (1962)

Shannon Stirnweis is the artist behind "Getting to Know the British West Indies pl3", dated 1962. Historical background, 1962: After 1945 the centre of Western art activity shifted to New York, where Abstract Expressionism was followed by Pop art, Minimalism, and Conceptual art. Photography, film, and print culture became part of the language of art, and artists across the world developed their own responses to modernism. Illustration, a short history: The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are often described as a golden age of book and magazine illustration. Illustration serves a text or a story, a tradition that runs from decorated medieval manuscripts to printed book plates, magazines, and posters. The catalogue places it in Illustration. The format is portrait.

Buying "Getting to Know the British West Indies pl3" means getting a digital file, not a physical print: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI, delivered by email once payment is confirmed. A 300 DPI file is intended for printing at home or at a local print shop, where you can choose a matte, satin, or fine-art paper to suit the room. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Illustrative graphics are valued for their decorative line work and narrative quality, which makes them a strong fit for gallery walls, kids rooms, studies, and more intimate interiors. A simple frame with a mat often helps an image settle comfortably into a room. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks.

American, 1931–2019

If you like the visual language of Shannon Stirnweis, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.