The Magi (Christmas Card from Margaret and Geoffrey Keynes) 1926 - 1928

Stephen Gooden created this miniature world with etching, probably as a Christmas card for Margaret and Geoffrey Keynes. Look how meticulously he’s worked the plate, creating light and shadow with these tiny, precise lines. The process must have been very meditative. The material is all about touch. It’s smooth, but visually, there’s so much happening. The smoke rising from the ground is particularly striking. It has this twisting, almost human quality, like a figure reaching towards the heavens. It’s weird, almost surreal, contrasting with the more traditional elements of the Nativity scene. Gooden’s work reminds me a little of Albrecht Dürer, that same attention to detail and a similar interest in religious themes. But Gooden has his own sensibility. Ultimately, art is about conversation. It's not about finding one true meaning but opening ourselves to the possibilities, to the way art can speak to us across time and traditions.