Rain 1939

Edward R. Ferguson made this image, called Rain, with graphite on paper, and I can almost feel the graphite dust under my fingernails. Look closely. I wonder if Ferguson sat outside while it was drizzling to draw this landscape with its gas towers, or if he worked from memory in the dry comfort of his studio, re-imagining a place he knew well. The mark-making feels tender, the pressure light; look at the way the marks fade in and out, giving the image a quiet but powerful feeling. The surface feels alive. Notice how the graphite sits on the page, creating texture and depth that make it seem to breathe. The grey monochrome lends itself to a quiet and understated expression that makes it look like a memory. I feel like I've been there before. Artists throughout time keep working with landscape, trying to make sense of where they find themselves, both physically and existentially. They are in conversation with each other, across time and space.