Luigi Rist

Luigi Rist was an American artist, born in Newark, New Jersey. He is best noted for his colorful woodblock prints. He learned printmaking at the Grand Central School of Art, and was mentored by Morris Blackburn for a time. He won first prize at an exhibition hosted by the American Color Print Society in 1941.

In a reverse of usual social trends at the time, Rist's wife, Ida, financially supported the family and encourage Luigi to focus on his artistic career.

In a letter to Morris Blackburn in 1941, Rist commented on woodblock printing and how it captivated him. “This damned printmaking has become of very absorbing interest to me. It’s a lot of work, hard and uncertain, and when I start printing, I’m off as though on a journey—a batch of work 40 or 50 prints takes a good solid week to complete. I get all keyed up—more so than I was when painting and while I’m working I can think and imagine and plan my future block."