Standard Bearer 1979

Jacob Kainen made this print, Standard Bearer, with lithographic ink and color washes, and just look at those marks! I can almost see him wrestling with the stone, layering those blacks and that faded pink, trying to get it just right. It feels kind of raw, doesn't it? Like he’s searching for something, maybe even messing around, in the best possible way. What was Kainen thinking when he made this? Was he remembering his Abstract Expressionist buddies, like de Kooning, or was he trying to channel the energy of the city? I bet he was in his studio, just feeling the pull of the ink, letting one mark lead to the next. That slash right across the middle—it’s so direct, so immediate. It's like he’s saying, ‘Here I am, this is what I’m feeling right now.’ And that’s what painting is all about, right? A conversation between artists across time, inspiring one another to embrace the unknown. It’s never about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions.