11:45 P.M. 1947

Letterio Calapai made this print, a monochrome world of suggestive signs, at what he imagines to be 11:45 P.M. I wonder what it was like for Calapai to walk around this place? He must have been overwhelmed by the signs, the lights, the buildings, and the crowds. And then to sit down later in his studio and recreate it from memory, a memory of having too many sensations. The image feels like a collection of fragments, a collage of urban life, of ads and marquees and posters, maybe, plastered all over the walls of his mind. The people at the bottom are the only stable element, a kind of anchor for this chaotic cityscape. The eye bounces around, trying to make sense of the overwhelming details, much like walking down a busy street. I feel like the artist shares a similar perspective to other printmakers who explore urban life, like those in the Ashcan School, as well as other artists, each inspiring one another's creativity across time.