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

Stephen Gooden made this Christmas card for Margaret and Geoffrey Keynes, and it’s etched with incredible detail. Imagine the artist hunched over the metal plate, cutting away tiny lines to create this whole world. Look at that strange smoky tornado in the middle! What do you think Gooden was thinking when he added that? Maybe he was interested in alchemy, or maybe he just wanted to mess with our expectations of a traditional Nativity scene. You know, the weird always makes things more interesting. I love the way that this print is both ancient and modern. It feels like it could be from the Middle Ages, but there's also something very 20th-century about the design. Artists are always in conversation with each other across time. Prints like this remind me that art doesn't always have to be big and splashy. Sometimes, the most powerful work is the most intimate, made with care and precision.