Fireworks in Paris (Feu d'artifice a Paris) 1937

Edouard Goerg made this print, Fireworks in Paris, which is pretty special. I think he was inspired by a fireworks display—you can almost hear the whooshing and crackling sounds. The whole thing shimmers with an energy that reminds me of other painterly prints, like some of those made by Whistler or even some of Odilon Redon's dark lithographs. It’s as though Goerg is trying to capture not just the visual spectacle, but also the fleeting, ephemeral quality of fireworks, their way of appearing and disappearing in an instant. I can imagine Goerg at work, the scratching and etching a really physical engagement. I wonder if he was trying to suggest that the experience of making the print was related to the exhilaration of the event? Gestures like this become part of a much larger visual conversation. Artists are always speaking to one another across time, repurposing ideas, and inspiring new creative inventions. It's a conversation without end, and lucky for us.