Remembrances of Things Past c. 1935

Betty Waldo Parish made this print, "Remembrances of Things Past," using black ink on paper, and, oh, what a title! It makes me wonder, what things? What past? The city comes into being with the lightest touch. She conjures a skyline as if from memory itself—like a dream half-forgotten. The marks build these urban structures, and each tiny stroke brings the metropolis to life. I imagine the artist carving away at the block, patiently revealing her memories, her vision of this place. It's like she's thinking about the weight of history, but also about the lightness of how we remember things, how they shift and change over time. And isn’t that what artists do, shift things? I love the way the surface of the sky looks like it could crack at any moment. Parish must have known and loved the prints of artists like the German Expressionists and their way of making you see the world. These artists are all in conversation!