Jane 1916

Timothy Cole made this engraving, Jane, in what seems like another world. You know, where life was lived at a different pace. I imagine him, bent over the plate, patiently coaxing the image into being, line by delicate line. Look closely at the way he's rendered the woman's dress. There's a real sense of volume and weight to it, but also an incredible lightness, as if it's about to float away. I wonder if Cole was thinking about the way fabric drapes and folds, or if he was more interested in the way light plays across its surface. I picture him pausing, squinting, trying to capture the exact quality of the light. The boy standing behind the seated woman is looking down, seemingly in awe. Or maybe he's embarrassed. Who knows? It’s interesting that the artist decided to include him, complicating the composition. Maybe he was thinking of earlier artists. Maybe he was thinking of pushing against their achievements. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and sometimes we trip! Anyway, it’s a conversation, this art thing, a back and forth through time. I think he's in dialogue with art history, wrestling with it, trying to make his own mark.