Black Mirror 1945

Mildred Bryant Brooks made "Black Mirror" as an etching of a landscape in monochrome. Imagine her inking the plate, wiping away excess, then pressing paper onto it, and cranking it through the press. A mirror of industry and decay emerges. I feel for her, trying to capture this scene, balancing the geometric precision of the oil derricks with the soft, dissolving reflections in the water. The sharp lines contrast with the misty atmosphere. The derricks loom large, their skeletal structures mirrored in the still water, creating a doubling effect that’s both beautiful and unsettling. Look how the reflections distort and break apart, hinting at instability and impermanence. It reminds me of other artists grappling with industrial landscapes, like the Bechers, but Brooks brings a personal, almost romantic sensibility to it. It is like a memento mori, a reflection on the temporality of human endeavor, and the inevitable return of all things to dust, or maybe just rust!