Indian Rock Writings 1946

Editor: We’re looking at Glen Alps' "Indian Rock Writings," a graphite drawing from 1946 that reminds me of ancient cave paintings. It feels…primal. There's something so fundamental about these figures and symbols. What strikes you when you look at this, Professor? Curator: It's funny you say primal, because it whispers of echoes. For me, Glen Alps isn’t just documenting markings; he’s channeling a forgotten language. Imagine tracing those lines – feeling the rock grit beneath your fingers as you commune with echoes of time and untold stories of millennia passed. Does it feel real, or does it echo other works? Editor: Hmmm…a bit of both, but explain a little further about “other works”? Curator: Do you remember your classes of Abstract Expressionists, you recall their search for universal symbols and raw emotions, right? And what about their references? Indigenous cultures, perhaps? I see Alps tapping into something similar, that primal urge to communicate beyond words, but now through his individual abstract lens as well as what already exists from ancient languages. Does it transport you? Editor: I guess I do see that, kind of like feeling connected across time, through symbols... but did Alps actually *see* these rocks himself, I wonder? Curator: Maybe he dreamed them. Perhaps these rocks saw him. The point is, isn't it captivating that something born from stone and earth can ripple through decades, speaking in whispers that make us listen to echoes of what existed long ago? It calls to our nature! Editor: Definitely food for thought! Curator: Yes. And for *feeling*, if you can manage that as well.