Untitled (Jug with Flowers and Leaves) 

Editor: This is Alexander Dobkin's "Untitled (Jug with Flowers and Leaves)," a woodcut print. I find the strong contrast between black and white so striking; it's graphic but also kind of comforting in its simplicity. What's your take? What story does it tell you? Curator: Well, it sings to me of home and hearth, of simple pleasures intensely observed. There’s a push and pull here between the modern love of flattened perspective and the age-old desire to capture the soul of ordinary things. Dobkin’s lines aren't just lines; they breathe life into the geometric forms. I feel like he saw a secret energy in those leaves and flowers, did you catch that too? Editor: I do see the energy now that you point it out! It's not just a still life; there’s a kind of vibration coming off the page. The jug almost looks like it’s humming. Curator: Exactly! It's as if Dobkin is saying, “Look closely! Magic hides in plain sight.” Have you ever tried to draw a flower and realized how fiercely it resists being pinned down, that spirit I mentioned? Editor: All the time! My sketches always look so lifeless compared to the real thing. I guess Dobkin found a way around that. Curator: Yes, instead of imitation, he gives us an *interpretation*, full of boldness. I find the woodcut medium just perfectly complements the angularity of the composition. Editor: So it's almost like the medium amplifies Dobkin’s perspective… that raw and bold view. Thank you, I will see flowers in a new way. Curator: Likewise! Every encounter with art changes you, even imperceptibly. And perhaps tomorrow we will explore how shadows speak to us from old black and white photographs!