Twisted Trees 1914

Auguste-Louis Lepère made this print, Twisted Trees, at an unknown date. It’s now at the Art Institute of Chicago. Lepère's dense cross-hatching creates a fantastic scene, where the bulk of the massive tree trunk overwhelms the lone figure standing at its base. Look at the way Lepère uses tiny marks to build up the texture of the bark, almost like he’s feeling his way around the tree. It's a process of discovery. The surface is anything but smooth. Lepère uses the physicality of the engraving to create a sense of depth and volume. You can almost feel the rough texture of the bark under your fingers. And the small figure at the base, they are dwarfed not just by the tree, but also by the artist’s mark making. Lepère reminds me of other printmakers like Félix Vallotton, who also used the black and white medium to create moody and evocative scenes. Like Vallotton, Lepère understood that art is always a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. It's never really finished, is it?