SWIMMER 1932

Eric Ravilious's 'Swimmer' is a wood engraving, a relief printmaking technique where the artist carves an image into the end grain of a block of wood. Unlike woodcut, which uses softer plank wood, engraving allows for finer detail. Look closely at the textures Ravilious has achieved - the ripples on the water, the feathery foliage of the trees. These are all created by carefully removing slivers of wood, leaving behind a network of lines and shapes. The process is labor-intensive, demanding precision and control. Think of the hours spent meticulously carving each line, each dot, reversing the image in preparation for printing. The stark contrast between black and white emphasizes the graphic quality of the print, but also speaks to the labor involved in bringing the image into being. This was not a spontaneous gesture, but a deliberate act of making. 'Swimmer' reminds us that even seemingly simple images are born from a complex interplay of material, technique, and artistic vision, blurring the lines between art and craft.