Sunday Noon c. 1940 - 1950

Alan Horton Crane made "Sunday Noon" using etching, and it feels like such a careful process, doesn't it? The detail is just incredible. Look at how the light filters through the trees, casting these complex shadows on the road. You can almost feel the stillness of a quiet afternoon. The texture in the stone wall to the right contrasts with the smoothness of the shadows on the road, it is an interesting mix of hard and soft. It really is a study in contrasts, the dark and light. Crane's work reminds me a bit of Edward Hopper's, in the sense that both artists capture a certain kind of American quietude. But where Hopper's paintings often feel lonely, Crane's etching feels more serene, like a peaceful moment captured in time. Of course, it is impossible to really know the artist's intent. In the end, we can only make our own meaning, which is what makes art so endlessly fascinating.