Solitude (Second Version) 1952

Karl Schrag made this intaglio print, "Solitude (Second Version)," sometime during his career, pulling the image in lush, varied greens. The lines carve out a dense landscape where nature is active and alive. Looking closely, the etched lines don't just describe forms but seem to construct the very feeling of being in nature. See how some lines are thick and bold, while others are thin and delicate, creating a textured surface that mimics the bark of trees, the ripple of water, or blades of grass. There's an area on the right-hand side, almost like a figure, that is constructed from multiple marks. Is it a person, a cluster of trees, or something else? The ambiguity is key. Like Fairfield Porter, Schrag captures the beauty of the everyday but with an expressionistic edge. It reminds me that art isn't about answers but about offering new ways to see.