UNCLE SCROOGE Dam Disaster Preliminary Painting UNSIGNED CARL BARKS Lithograph

Description

Offered here is "Dam Disaster at Money Lake," a rare original lithograph of a preliminary painting by Carl Barks, the Disney artist who wrote and drew the great Donald Duck four color comic books throughout the '40s, '50s and 1960s, and invented Uncle Scrooge, the Beagle Boys, Gladstone Gander, Gyro Gearloose and many of the other beloved characters in the Donald Duck universe.
This litho--which measures 12½" high x 14½" wide overall and has an image area of 10" high x 12½"--is
an unsigned publisher's proof
of one of a series of ten lithographs that were created for inclusion in the long out of print fine art portfolio "
A Special Lithographic Suite of Preliminary Paintings by
Carl Barks
, Set I," which was published in an edition of only 500 copies by Another Rainbow under license from the Walt Disney Company in 1986.
This limited edition artwork depicts "Dam Disaster at Money Lake," an action-packed rendering of the climactic scene in "Only a Poor Old Man," the opening story in Uncle Scrooge #1 from 1952. This litho was later reworked and published as a large format lithograph with the same name, but this early draft reveals an energy and sense of movement that is missing from many of the Duck Man's finished full size paintings. Don't get me wrong, like any Barks fan, I love the finely wrought, almost three-dimensional depth the artist manages to convey in his large format paintings.  But as an artist who started out doing quick storyboard sketches of Donald and his family for Donald Duck animated cartoons, Barks was also a master at telling an entire story in a few bold strokes--and nowhere is that talent better displayed than in his early preliminary paintings. Take a moment to study the high resolution scan of this work that appears in this listing and see if you don't agree that it captures a joy and vibrancy in Carl's work that you don't often see in his painted works.  For that reason alone, it's hard to imagine a Barks collection that wouldn't welcome the inclusion of a work as loose, spontaneous and playful as this charming piece.
Because Carl rendered this preliminary painting in a smaller size than his full-size paintings, this lithograph is much easier to frame and display than the much larger full size lithographs published by Another Rainbow.  If you're a fan of Carl Barks, you won't want to miss this opportunity to add a Disney-licensed Barks Donald Duck litho lithograph to your collection for a fraction of the price of any of the artist's large format lithos featuring Donald and his kin.
For more background on the origin of this unusual lithograph, here's how Another Rainbow described
"A Special Lithographic Suite of Preliminary Paintings by
Carl Barks
Set I,"
the suite of ten specially published lithographs that included the one offered in this listing:
"For years Carl Barks fans asked whether the preliminary paintings the Old Duck Man has done as concepts for lithographs - both those that were then completed and those that were abandoned - would ever be published, and, if so, in what form? The answer came from Another Rainbow in 1986 with a full suite of ten original miniature oils in a traditional four-color set of prints, using fine paper and superior lithographic screened-process printing."
As described above, each litho in the set depicted a small format preliminary painting that Carl created as a "sketch" to demonstrate the concept and layout for a proposed full-size painting.  These preliminary paintings would then be submitted to the Walt Disney company for approval.  Some, such as "Dam Disaster at Money Lake," were approved and Barks subsequently recreated them as full size paintings.  Others were not approved for development, and those designed were abandoned at that stage and never evolved into more expansive paintings.
All of the lithographs in the "Lithographic Suite," were produced directly from Carl's original paintings,
and all were published--in
various sizes that reflected the dimensions of the original preliminary work depicted--
on fine quality, high rag-content paper.
Please note that the litho offered here is a publisher's proof that I purchased directly from the estate of Another Rainbow co-publisher, and
is not signed, initialed, or individually numbered by Carl Barks.
Although I have only copy of this litho to offer, I have also listed a second lithograph from the same portfolio in a separate eBay auction. If you're lucky enough to purchase both lithos from my auctions, I will happily combine ship them in a single carton to minimize your postage costs. Thanks for your interest in my auction and good luck on your bid or offer!