Flight IV 1963

John Dowell made this print, Flight IV, with a real sense of drama through the sweeping marks and contrasts in tone. You can see that the process of making was immediate and playful. The piece has a real physicality, a roughness to the marks, particularly in the dense lower section. Look closely and you’ll see the layering of tones, almost like the ink has been scrubbed into the surface. Then, moving up into the central section, notice the delicate tendrils that reach out from the ‘tree’ toward the flying creature. It's like a visual metaphor for reaching and yearning. This piece puts me in mind of Nancy Spero’s protest prints. Both artists share a bold graphic sensibility and a willingness to experiment with the possibilities of printmaking. It is this kind of openness that allows for art to become something deeply felt, rather than simply seen.