Untitled (Fortified City) c. 1930

This is John Carroll's "Untitled (Fortified City)," a print conjured from his imagination. Look at the way he coaxes light and shadow from the paper, a real dance of greys! What strikes me about this piece is the texture. He's built up this imposing fortress with tiny, careful strokes. The whole thing feels solid, almost touchable, as though the paper has been carved rather than marked. It's this kind of making that really gets to me. I love seeing the labor, the time, the thought, all laid bare in the work. Take a look at the bottom of the fortress where the rock face meets the water. Carroll's used these longer strokes to create the feeling of a jagged, broken edge. I am reminded of Piranesi's etchings of imaginary prisons, that same sense of looming monumentality. Carroll and Piranesi both invite us to get lost in the details, to wander through worlds built line by line. For me, both embrace the ambiguities that art can offer.