Faces - Triptych [right half] 1961

This is a lithograph entitled, 'Faces - Triptych [right half]' by Aubrey Schwartz. It’s all monochrome. The head is white with dark shading that gives the face its character. Then there’s a dark mass of what might be hair, surrounding the face. I wonder about the process, whether it was immediate or slow. I imagine Schwartz starting with the eyes, and the way they seem to stare right through you. The mouth agape, like a silent scream. The dark, almost menacing hair, framing the face like a void. It reminds me a little of other artists obsessed with the human face, like Ensor or Munch, but there’s something very personal here. Like it’s a window into Schwartz’s soul. I like to think of artists in conversation across time, reacting to one another, inspiring each other, and adding to the messy, beautiful, ongoing story of art.