The Year's at the Spring 1920

Harry Clarke made this drawing, *The Year's at the Spring,* with ink on paper. I imagine Clarke, a master of illustration, hunched over his desk. I bet he loved to draw, just like me! Look at the way he has created this image of a figure in mid-air by using line, tone, and texture. This is the kind of work that reveals itself the longer you look. How much time do we spend looking these days? Clarke's work makes me want to slow down. He uses only black and white, but isn't it amazing to see the depth that he creates with these tonal variations? I can feel the influence of artists like Aubrey Beardsley here. Maybe Clarke was looking at Beardsley’s work, and thinking about how to make something new, something of his own. That's what we all do, right? We are constantly in conversation with the artists of the past, and the artists of our time.