Miss Hollywood c. 1925

James Blanding Sloan made this black and white print, Miss Hollywood, and it's full of graphic energy. I can just imagine him in his studio, maybe in the California sunshine, carving away at that block. I wonder if Sloan felt like he was chasing after something elusive, like fame? There’s a figure holding a torch, running headlong into a spotlight, and you can almost feel the heat of that light, the tension, and the drama. The figure seems to be bravely running towards something or away from something. Think about how the sharp contrasts make it pop – it reminds me of woodcuts by German Expressionists, but with a Hollywood twist. It's like Sloan is in conversation with artists from different times and places, all trying to capture something essential about the human experience. I love how printmaking allows for such a strong statement, and the ambiguity invites us to bring our own stories to the image.