Going Home 1957 - 1961

Anatoli Kaplan made this print, Going Home, with lithographic crayon, and the textures created are just beautiful. Look at how the artist uses mark making to convey the scene. It’s all done with these soft, grainy marks that seem to build up, bit by bit, into the image. The crayon creates this incredible range of tones, from the deepest blacks to the palest grays. Notice the sky, how it feels both heavy and luminous at the same time, with the moon pushing through. I am reminded of the work of Käthe Kollwitz. Like her, Kaplan brings an emotional depth to his work, using simple means to evoke complex feelings. Art like this reminds us that the magic is in the process, and that meaning can be found in the simplest of marks.