Feu Nocturne 1961 - 1962

Juvenal Sansò made this print, Feu Nocturne, by layering and scraping away at the plate, a dance of adding and subtracting that gives it such incredible depth. Look closely, and you'll see how the velvety blacks contrast with delicate, almost ghostly whites. The texture is everything here: rough, etched lines that feel like the bark of trees, or maybe the skin of some ancient creature. See how the light seems to flicker and dance at the top? It’s as if Sansò captured a moment of ephemeral beauty. The way the artist coaxes so much atmosphere out of a monochromatic palette reminds me of the etchings of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who also found drama in ruins and shadows. And, like Piranesi, Sansò reminds us that art is not about showing, but about feeling, suggesting, and letting the viewer fill in the blanks.