The Sunny Corner 1957

Stow Wengenroth made this lithograph, called The Sunny Corner, sometime in the 20th century. Look at the way he's created depth. Sunlight filters through the trees, casting shadows on the road and fence. It’s all in black and white but somehow manages to make you feel the warmth of the day. I can almost imagine Wengenroth walking down this road, stopping to sketch the scene, feeling the textures of the buildings and trees, and translating all that onto the lithographic stone. And the level of detail! Each stroke, each line contributes to the overall mood. There is a conversation between light and shadow, between solid form and airy space. It reminds me of the work of other printmakers like Whistler or maybe even some of the Ashcan School painters. Artists are constantly building on each other’s ideas, learning from what came before, and adding their own unique perspective.