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“Snow in Springtime” is a relief print, a woodcut printed with 9 colors, done in 1919-20. The image measures 9-5/8 x 11-7/8″. This impression is pencil signed, titled, and editioned “61/100” by the artist beneath the image (71 impressions recorded). The artist also added a small block with his monogram and the date “1919” in the lower right image. It was printed by the artist in proofs only on a sheet of antique-white laid Japanese paper that measures 10-3/4 x 13-1/4″. A reference for this image is Chapman 6.
After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1908 he worked as the head of Leek School of Art for nine years until 1919. In 1917 Platt exhibited at the International Society of Sculptors and at the Arts and Craft Society. Two of his best-known prints, Snow in Springtime (1919) and The Giant Stride (1918) are from this period.
This energetic color woodcut “Snow in Springtime”, one of John Platt’s earliest, was revolutionary in every way. Rarely had the leaders of Britain’s early 20th-century color woodcut revival depicted movement so vividly and in such a modern, contemporary setting, nor were they in the habit of using family members as models.
The two girls sharing the swing are Platt’s sisters, Marian and Kathleen. Safely off to the side are his young children, Anthea and Michael. After making this print, seen here in an exceptionally crisp, colorful impression, the meticulous Platt returned to tradition and spent the 1920s doing mostly landscapes.
