Pigs c. 1930s

Anne Michalov made this lithograph of pigs on paper, but we don't know exactly when. The lines she uses are just lovely, it’s all about the process of mark making. There is a lot of lovely cross-hatching and tonal variation that gives a real sense of depth, and that brings this scene to life. I think it’s so nice that Michalov didn’t smooth over the process, and let the marks speak for themselves. I love the way that the shading accentuates the roundness of the pigs' bodies. It reminds me a little of Kathe Kollwitz, the way that she gets so much from the black ink, just with a few economical lines, it feels so generous and so human. This is a piece that embraces the messiness of art, and the beautiful ambiguity of the world.