La Brea, Powell
La Brea, Powell
Signed Print
Ed Ruscha
20 x 24cm, Edition of 45, Etching, 2001
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Meaning & Analysis
La Brea, Powell is a 2001 etching by Ed Ruscha from the series Los Francisco, San Angeles, signed and numbered from an edition of 45. A vertical and a horizontal band of fine lines cross at the centre of a pale field, with street names set beside them.
The vertical band carries the names La Brea and Powell, set on either side of the main line. The horizontal band carries Beverly above and O’Farrell below. The lines are fine, parallel and graded in tone from dark in the centre to light at the edges. The lettering is set in the same plain capitals as the other prints in the series. The crossing of the two bands forms a simple cross. The resulting image reads as a map of an intersection reduced to its basic structure. The street names correspond to streets in both cities, with La Brea and Beverly in Los Angeles and Powell and O’Farrell in San Francisco, so the print appears to show a place that could not exist. Ruscha has often used maps, signs and lettering to explore how places are named and described. The series carries that interest into a quieter, more graphic register. The print is numbered and signed in the lower margin.
