In the second, third, and fourth sections of this exhibition, the viewer is presented six examples of one of the artist's most important innovations in printmaking, his "diary prints." First attempted in the 1970's, they have now become a significant element of some of his best works. Some of these deal with travel, such as his "Diary and Hamburg" and "Visit to Krangen" found in the second section. Others deal with images of nature, such as in "Diary and shells" and "Diary and Port Campbell Coast" in the fourth section.

I would like to dwell on the first of these, "Diary and Hamburg." Here the artist presents us with a carefully delineated skyline of the city which occupies the central area of the print. Surrounding this dominant motif he adds vignettes drawn from related episodes of his trip, not organized as bands of architecture, but dispersed around the borders of the print. The upper register contains Asian architecture, Italian towers, rooftops in Prague, and a precisely rendered leaf among other diverse elements. A torrent of images flows through the lower center, including references to Buddha, to the German artist Lucas Cranach, and to various natural and organic forms.

These vignettes mix with a delightfully characteristic Schmeisser device - a diary rendered in a delicate yet legible style. The diary is in German, beginning along the left border, and continuing on the right third of the print.

The diary has a number of different functions. The text tracks the artist's thoughts and movements during the trip, as the etching is fermenting in his mind. Sometimes the written record is related to the visual imagery, offering information that is useful to the viewer. At other times the text conveys thoughts and observations that are unrelated to the print's subject.

To the artist, the diary's most important function is visual: as a compositional element that weaves the diverse components of the image into a unified ensemble. Schmeisser's writing and the combination of text and image is reminiscent of the illustrated notebooks of Leonardo, the codices that contain the Renaissance master's ideas and sketches on science and art.

In the work of both artists, Renaissance and modern, the handwritten text serves as a visual foil for the drawings. Although the notes are interesting, a reading knowledge of Leonardo's Italian, or Schmeisser's German is not necessary for the viewer's enjoyment of this skillfully composed design. But unlike Leonardo, Schmeisser had to write his text in mirror image on the printing plate so that the viewer of the resulting print might be able to read it.

Taking a closer look at the exhibition's "Diary and Hamburg," even those of us who do not read German can begin to realize what a tour de force of technical and artistic virtuosity we have before us in the creation of this splendid example of a diary print.

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