Miss Hollywood c. 1925

James Blanding Sloan made this intriguing print called Miss Hollywood using, I think, linocut. The stark contrast between the dark figure and the lighter background feels graphic, immediate. I’m always fascinated by how artists make decisions about what to reveal and what to conceal. The figure is defined by what's been carved away, a silhouette that leaves so much to the imagination. Look at how the texture of the linoleum creates this overall kind of hazy effect, like a memory or a dream. It gives the piece a tactile quality. The figure’s spiky hair, juxtaposed against the smooth, rounded forms of the body, creates a playful tension. It's this tension that keeps me looking. Sloan’s work reminds me a little bit of the German Expressionist woodcuts, that same bold simplicity. Art is an ongoing conversation, each artist building on what came before, and inviting us to join in the dialogue. There’s no one way to read this; it's more about feeling and sensing.