I love woodcuts and I make woodcuts. On this blog I write about woodcuts I love and woodcuts I make.
Monday, January 3, 2011
"The Monongahela" by Blanche Lazzell
A curved road at the bottom of the composition, and strange arch at the top (a transdimensional bridge or muddy rainbow perhaps?) form a great oval turned on its side, which bulges way out of the picture frame. These two borders form a giant's eye, within which we see icy blue mountains, loopy bridges, sagging houses, and a river occupied by strange yellow lanterns that bob on the surface. Round and round the eye is caught in a fast roller coaster ride. Thankfully the sharp, hard branches of a purple tree are present to slow the ride down, lest our gazes fly right out of the scene. More yellow lights dot the base of the hills and lights in the window of houses; it's dark and cold outside and people are busy doing what people do. We can see from the glow on the horizon that the sun is either rising or setting, or perhaps that is simply the ambient light from the urban center penetrating the night sky. Light pollution (what muddied the rainbow?) some would say. One more way diurnal humans impose ourselves on the universe. Then again, in the season of darkness who's to enjoy all this cool blue without illumination of the hue?
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I've always loved lights at twilight, even the lights of industrial areas that are horrible scars on nature. As you say, sometimes it takes light to enjoy darkness. This is just a beautiful print. Thanks for sharing it.
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