Hurdlers c. 1935

Willard Ayer Nash made this print, called "Hurdlers," sometime in the first half of the 20th century. Look at how Nash uses hatching to build up tone, and how light seems to radiate from the white of the paper. I can imagine Nash being super focused, etching those lines into the metal plate, almost like he was in a trance. The cross-hatching gives the image a real sense of depth and movement, like the athletes are leaping off the page. It's like he's capturing not just the action, but also the feeling of athleticism: the tension, the power, the grace. The way he's handled the light reminds me of some of the early modernist printmakers. Nash is part of this ongoing conversation artists have across time, each adding their own voice. This print feels like a real snapshot of a moment, full of energy and life.