Alleyway 1952

This is Morris Atkinson Blackburn’s ‘Alleyway’, and it looks like it was made by layering colour in a printmaking process. The buildings are made up of orange and brown hues and it feels like the artist has arrived at a new way of depicting the city. I love to think about the printmaking process, the preparation of the wood or lino, carving away at a surface, layering colour upon colour. The artist probably enjoyed a feeling of experimentation and discovery at each stage of its making. I can imagine Blackburn being playful, making intuitive decisions about the various parts of the composition and how they work together. Look at that salmon-pink building! And the mysterious green sky. The print could be of any nondescript alleyway, but it feels like a moment of wonder. Blackburn, like all artists, is in conversation with the painters who came before him, and also those who will come after. He’s opening a space for imagination and possibility.