Riders 1942

Albert Urban made "Riders" as a print with a date on the bottom right of '42. The colours are muted and earthy, like he's pulled them straight from the landscape. The way the colours overlap and interact, creating new shades and textures, it makes me think about the magic that happens when we let the process guide us. There's a particular area, near the bottom, where the green meets the edge of the horse's legs. You can see the texture of the printmaking process so clearly. It's rough and a little uneven, but that's what gives it its charm. These material aspects make the piece so engaging. It reminds me a little of Emil Nolde’s woodcuts, especially the way he used colour to create mood and atmosphere. But Urban has his own thing going on, a kind of quiet intensity. Ultimately, art is all about embracing ambiguity and letting the viewer bring their own experiences to the table.