Angel 1950

Alice Hunt’s 'Angel' is a linocut on paper, and I'm immediately drawn to the angel’s gaze, slightly downward, holding a butterfly. Imagine Hunt carving away at the linoleum block. A slip of the hand could send the whole image into a different sphere. The beauty of printmaking is that it captures a single moment, but can be reproduced, echoed, repeated. Looking at the sharp definition of the angel’s wing feathers, the dark solid form of the skirt and the subtle shading of her hair, I wonder, what was Hunt thinking about as she carved each line? The process of carving such an image can be slow and meditative, each mark deliberate, creating a powerful tension between control and chance. Maybe she was also looking at other printmakers, like Gauguin, or the German Expressionists, who were also interested in the graphic power of black and white. It’s all part of the conversation, the ongoing exchange of ideas, and it's like we're all in the studio together, working it out, one gesture at a time.