Leonard Baskin AET 42 1961 - 1962

This is Leonard Baskin’s "AET 42", a work created in a dialogue between sharp cuts and broad planes. The whole thing is a balance of these tonal contrasts, the flat khaki green against the black of the oval. I can only imagine what it must have been like to carve that block, to feel the resistance of the wood, making firm and decisive cuts to reveal the portrait. The marks are almost brutal, and yet so sensitive. The hatching and cross-hatching around the nose and eyes create a real sense of depth and texture, like a living, breathing face emerging from the material. And the way he renders the hat, it’s not just a hat, it’s a part of the character, shadowing his brow, throwing his gaze into relief. We should think of Baskin within a community of mark-makers and printmakers. They are all speaking with each other across time. Each artist offers their individual voice to the conversation. His printmaking is deeply rooted in a history of figuration and humanist concerns, yet rendered through a distinct language of form and process.