Two Men and a Moon 1943

Guy MacCoy made this print, called "Two Men and a Moon," at some point in his career using what looks like a woodblock. The colors are so flat, it’s almost like looking at a diagram. See how he's built up this landscape using these clear shapes? The mountain in the background is made with what seems like grey and white stripes, the tree is rendered with some blue and brown, and the two men are simplified to just a few lines. I’m interested in the way the branch that is pointing towards the barn seems to create a relationship between the tree and the building. It reminds me that making a landscape isn’t just about imitation but about making connections between things. It puts me in mind of another artist, Lois Dodd, who also worked with landscapes, abstracting them until they almost fell apart, while still retaining a sense of place. It’s kind of beautiful to think that art can be both a solid thing and an open question at the same time.