{"product_id":"real-deal-2014","title":"Real Deal, 2014","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Real Deal\" is an etching in blue on wove paper created by Ed Ruscha in 2014. From the edition of 54, the artwork is signed and dated 'Ed Ruscha 2014' lower right and annotated lower left. The artwork is framed in a contemporary white frame and has a framed size of 44 x 39\". The artwork ships framed and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEd Ruscha’s \"Real Deal,\" created in 2014, is a thoughtful example of the artist’s later printmaking, combining language, abstraction, and the physical character of etching. Produced in blue on wove paper, the work belongs to a group of related prints that includes \"Zoot Suit\" and \"Rain Gain.\" Ruscha described the origins of these images directly: “These prints came out of pencil sketches resembling standing soldiers or skinny skyscrapers. The technical side was influenced by the Joan Miró playbook of open bite intaglio. The figures ‘bleed’ excess ink to define the images.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat statement is useful because it explains both the structure and the mood of the image. The words “REAL” and “DEAL” are split across two vertical panels, their letters stretched into tall, narrow forms. They can be read as typography, but also as architectural shapes, sentinels, or fragments of signage. The phrase remains legible, yet slightly awkward and unstable, making the viewer work to assemble it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe expression “real deal” is familiar American language, suggesting authenticity, legitimacy, or something that lives up to its promise. Ruscha does not illustrate the phrase directly. Instead, he turns it into a visual object. The words become pale, elongated structures, standing in space but also seeming to recede into the blue surface. That tension between a confident phrase and a quiet, unsettled image gives the work much of its interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe technique is central to the effect. Ruscha’s reference to Miró and open-bite intaglio points to a process that allows for softness, irregularity, and controlled accident. Rather than producing only crisp, hard-edged lettering, the etching lets ink gather and bleed around the forms. These halos and shadows define the letters while also loosening them, giving the print a handmade, atmospheric quality. The image feels designed, but not overly polished.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe restricted blue palette reinforces the work’s restraint. Without strong color contrast or decorative detail, attention shifts to shape, scale, spacing, and surface. The two-panel format gives the composition a measured, almost architectural presence, while the fragmented lettering keeps it from becoming static. It is a quieter Ruscha, but a highly considered one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Real Deal\" offers a strong example of Ruscha’s word-based practice in a more experimental printmaking mode. It does not rely on bold color or instant graphic impact. Instead, it rewards close looking: the way language becomes structure, the way process shapes meaning, and the way a common phrase can become strange when slowed down and reimagined. The result is a refined, understated work that is unmistakably Ruscha in its balance of wit, restraint, and ambiguity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ed Ruscha","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52015928344893,"sku":"ETRUS201401","price":58850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1551\/3581\/files\/ETRUS201401__P-Image_Real_Deal_2014_ETRUS201401_AP0009_sm_ed_bl_a21c2ba1-d4c3-49b8-8fed-15d851c613ef.jpg?v=1784733711","url":"https:\/\/martinlawrence.com\/products\/real-deal-2014","provider":"Martin Lawrence Galleries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}