Landscape with Bridge 1963

Vasile Dobrian made this print, Landscape with Bridge, with an unknown process. He may have used wood or linoleum. The palette is muted, and the shapes are flattened in a way that feels very modern, but also kind of old fashioned. Look at the dark, bold outlines defining the bridge and buildings, those chunky lines. The bridge's arches, loom like mysterious portals against a backdrop of peach and blue buildings. Then, in the foreground, two figures stand side by side, but they're swallowed up by the landscape. The tree seems to observe them. I think the way Dobrian simplifies everything is super cool. It’s like he's saying, "Hey, life's complicated, but art doesn't have to be." There’s something about the colour combinations here, and the boldness of the shapes that makes me think of a mix between Milton Avery and Lois Dodd. But it also makes me think of the the German Expressionist woodcut artists. Either way, Landscape with Bridge is the result of many traditions.