Bright Angel Trail 1922

This is 'Bright Angel Trail', a print made by Gustave Baumann. It's like a memory in ochre, a sun-drenched landscape distilled into simple shapes. I can imagine Baumann carving away at the woodblock, following the contours of the canyon, trying to capture that feeling of being small amidst something vast. The print is very tactile, and I imagine that the cutting marks were intuitive. The colour is so warm; it's like the sun beating down on those rocks. That line snaking through the middle could be the trail itself. Maybe Baumann hiked it, or dreamed of hiking it? I'm thinking of other landscape artists like Agnes Martin. It's like they’re all in conversation, trying to find ways to express our connection to nature. Ultimately, this print is about slowing down and noticing the beauty of the world around us.