The Grand Windsor Lobby 1936

Eli Jacobi made this print, The Grand Windsor Lobby, through carving marks into a block, inking it, and pressing it onto paper, somewhere along the line. You can see how each mark has been thoughtfully and intentionally placed to create areas of light and dark. It’s a process of removal, so the artist has to be very sure of their gestures! Looking at the bottom of the image, the floorboards tilt and curve, becoming more gestural and expressive than purely functional; this reminds me that the whole print comes from a place of feeling. The hat lying on the floor takes on a quiet significance, like a trace of someone who was once here. It reminds me a little of some of the German Expressionist printmakers, like Kirchner, but with a distinctly American flavour. As with any artwork, it’s not about finding a single, correct interpretation, but about letting your imagination wander through the world the artist has created.