Night and Day 1952

Stanley William Hayter made this intaglio print, Night and Day, using engraving and soft ground etching. It's all about layers and how they shape our experience, isn't it? Imagine him, working away at the plate, pushing and pulling lines, creating textures that catch the light. He would have had to build it up, layer by layer. Those sweeping curves of orange, teal, and purple suggest a kind of rhythm, like a dance between chaos and control. I wonder what he was thinking about as he worked? Maybe he was chasing a feeling. That scribbled line, for instance, looks like a burst of energy. It’s a really specific gesture and helps to balance out the composition, connecting different areas of the picture. It makes me think of Miro and other surrealists who were playing with chance and automatism. All these artists, including Hayter, are in conversation with each other across time, exchanging ideas and inspiring each other's creativity. I bet it was a blast to be in the studio and see this come together.