Untitled (Mozart Profile to Viewer's Right, on Blue Background) 1945

Joseph Solman made this “Untitled (Mozart Profile to Viewer's Right, on Blue Background)” using printmaking. Look at how Solman built up the image from a flat blue field, then added another blobby color to the center, and finally capped it off with the delicate line work of the portrait. There's something really satisfying about how the solid blue sits behind the grainy blue and white shape, giving it depth. The lines, like a casual doodle, create Mozart’s profile. The dark lines seem to want to escape the solid area. It’s like the drawing is trying to break free from the constraints of the color. Solman's work reminds me a bit of Philip Guston, both artists weren't afraid to mix abstraction with representation. It’s a good reminder that art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas.