The Mud Heads Clowning for their Shalako Visitors 1946

Ira Moskowitz made this print of the Mud Heads Clowning for their Shalako Visitors sometime in the 20th century. I like to imagine him working on this, bent over the printing stone, grinding and polishing it, maybe even spitting on it. Then he sketches the figures with grease, dips it in acid, and then the magic: he rolls ink onto the stone. The image clings to the grease, and then he presses the paper. I wonder what it was like for Moskowitz to draw these clowns. To depict these dancers, the Shalako visitors, and the space they occupy. You can feel the atmosphere in the room – the hanging lights, the figures. I imagine him thinking about the weight of each line, pressing and pulling, creating something both strange and vivid. Artists learn from looking at other artists. Moskowitz’s work reminds me of Kathe Kollwitz, or even Francisco Goya. They're all using line to capture the emotional intensity of a scene. They're all conversing across time through their own mark making.