Sol y Luna 1945

Mauricio Lasansky made this print called Sol y Luna, or Sun and Moon, using etching techniques. The way he builds up these areas of dark and light, it's all about the process. Check out the textures Lasansky coaxes from the metal plate with lines and cross-hatching. See that dragon-like head at the left? It’s built up from what looks like a million tiny marks. The toothy grin is kind of terrifying but then the body seems softer, more amorphous. It reminds me a little of Goya's etchings but maybe with a Surrealist twist? Overall, this is one of those prints that feels like a conversation between the artist and the plate, a push-and-pull that leaves you, the viewer, somewhere in between dream and reality. That’s the magic.