Solitude (Second Version) 1952

Karl Schrag made this etching called 'Solitude (Second Version)' in 1962. It’s all in shades of green, like looking through vintage sunglasses, or maybe through a forest canopy. I imagine Schrag hunched over the plate, using some kind of sharp tool to scratch lines into the metal. You can feel the pressure he applied to the plate, the way he carved out this little world. There are so many lines going every which way, forming trees and foliage, even a tiny figure in the corner. It feels like a dreamscape, a forest of the mind. What I love about it is that sense of being lost in thought, wandering through a maze of your own making. I think of other printmakers like, say, Whistler. But Schrag feels more raw, more immediate. You can feel the artist's hand in every line. That's what makes it so special; it's like he's inviting you to get lost with him.