Trees and a Star c. 1957

Charles Knowles made this print, titled "Trees and a Star," with what looks like a linocut or woodcut technique, and the image is full of flat planes of color – a blue-gray ground, black trees, and a star in red. I can imagine Knowles carefully carving away at the linoleum or wood block, thinking about shapes, negative space, and the graphic nature of the lines. There's a real formal elegance to it, the way the trees form a kind of rhythmic pattern in the foreground, and how the star is carefully placed to create balance. The texture and grain of the cut block contribute to the emotional and intellectual resonances of the work. I wonder about the title, and the symbolic weight of those two words, trees and a star. There's something about the juxtaposition of the natural world and the celestial that feels very touching. I imagine Knowles was in conversation with other artists exploring similar themes, each contributing their unique vision to the collective exploration of what it means to be human, and to be alive.