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The first time you see Ugo Mochi’s artwork, it’s easy to assume it was drawn in ink. Those razor-thin lines, minute details, and breathtaking scenes of frozen motion could only be the result of a trained pen.
In reality, Ugo Mochi is the world’s foremost paper-cut artist, a craftsman without equal and a timeless poet of shadows. His works, intricate paper outlines revealing lively scenes portrayed with unparalleled accuracy, are the result of the artist’s painstakingly honed process.
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Long before blade met paper, Mochi often put as much time into researching as he did cutting. An exacting artist, he spent hours upon hours immersing himself in the library, learning about his subjects in order to present them faithfully.
For his heralded First Ladies of the White House series, Mochi spent three years researching, often in Washington D.C. On more than one occasion, his inquires into the national archives revealed a wealth of new information almost forgotten to time. From first ladies posing in the White House to gazelles galloping across the African savannah, Mochi meticulously ensured that his subjects where true to life, down to the finest detail.
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While his refined cutting technique was unmatched, it was his design and exquisite composition—informed by his sculptural background—that elevated his paper-cuts into a fine art.
Every transcendent design was first realized in a sketch, humbly drawn with pencil on thin tracing paper. Mochi often spent one week creating an elaborately intricate sketch before making the first cut.
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When the sketch was complete, Mochi affixed the white tracing paper to a thicker black paper, gluing the edges and securing the center with a heavy paperweight. Then he placed the two on his glass easel, lit from under: this was where he made his masterstrokes.
Mochi began by sharpening his razor against a whetstone. The delicate implement, a lithographer’s knife, closely resembled a surgeon’s scalpel. He spent weeks cutting along the sketch through both layers of paper; many times, the white piece remained in tact.
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Once the sketch was successfully cut, Mochi removed the glued edges and any excess white paper. Now he focused on bringing the black paper into its finalform; he inspected every detail, making miniscule refinements with the assistance of a powerful magnifying glass.
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His cutting complete, Mochi then carefully mounted the black paper-a delicate array of figures intricately connected as a single piece-against a white background. It was then pressed under a thick layer of glass, obscuring almost any sign that the work was cut from paper, rather than drawn onto it.