The Escape 1964

Michael Mazur made this print, “The Escape”, using black ink on paper, and it feels so immediate. Look at the frenetic lines, the shadowy patches—you can practically see the artist digging into the plate, trying to capture a feeling more than a scene. I wonder if Mazur was thinking about Goya’s dark prints, those stark contrasts and themes of struggle. There's that same raw energy, like the artist is wrestling with something heavy. I imagine him hunched over the plate, pushing the boundaries of the medium, trying to make the ink convey desperation. See how the hand seems to reach out, almost breaking through the picture plane? That gesture alone speaks volumes, doesn't it? It’s like he’s saying, “I’m here, I’m present, and I’m not giving up.” That’s the beauty of printmaking, really. It's a conversation across time, each artist adding their voice to the mix, finding new ways to express the messy, complicated business of being human.