Alleyway 1952

Morris Atkinson Blackburn made this print, Alleyway, and it really sings with the unique properties of the medium. This is an artist thinking through a process, not just making a picture. There’s something great about the way Blackburn lets the image be built from distinct color blocks. I love the way he shows the bare bones of the printmaking process, almost like a painter letting their underpainting peek through. The colors are so muted and soft, except for that brick red. And look how he’s built the surfaces. The way the grey-blue of the sky is mottled. It’s not just flat color, it’s alive! It reminds me a bit of some of Milton Avery’s cityscapes, but with its own quiet, slightly melancholy mood. For me, this is one of those works that reminds us art doesn’t have to shout to be heard.