Tlalmanalco II 1975

Leonard Lehrer made this print, Tlalmanalco II, in 1975. It’s an etching, which means he made the image by biting into a metal plate with acid. That process gives the image this really rich, tactile quality. Check out how Lehrer uses line, almost like he’s sculpting the image out of the white of the paper. The composition seems to be constantly shifting, figures morphing into architecture, and back again. Notice the hands in the center, reaching out. Are they offering something, or asking for help? The longer you look, the more the image seems to breathe. For me, Lehrer's work feels like a conversation with artists like Goya, who also used etching to explore the darker sides of human experience. But Lehrer brings his own sensibility, a kind of restless energy, to the medium. His image reminds me that art is always a process of discovery.