Murex denudatus Possibly 1962

Charles Arthur Wells Jr.’s print, Murex denudatus, captures a seashell in a kind of silvery dream. The marks feel almost accidental, like dust motes dancing in the light. Look how the edges of the shell aren't precise; they sort of dissolve into the hazy background. It's like Wells is more interested in the *idea* of a shell than a perfect representation. And those tiny, spiky bits around the shell's opening? They're almost like a nervous energy radiating outwards. The texture is everything here, the way the ink sits on the page, creating these subtle shifts in tone. I am reminded of Vija Celmins's meticulous drawings of mundane objects. But where Celmins is cool and detached, Wells is all about feeling. It reminds me that art isn’t just about what you see, but how it makes you feel.