Untitled 1961

This is a print by Glen Alps, and right away I get a sense of things emerging from the dark. I imagine him scraping away at the plate, pushing and pulling, trying to get the balance of light and shadow just right. There’s a floating form, kind of like an arrow but with these rounded, organic shapes cut out of it. It feels otherworldly. Then there’s this landscape below, a sort of mountain range made of geometric shapes. Look at the way Alps uses texture to create depth, the way the lines vary in thickness and intensity. It reminds me of some of the early abstract expressionists, like they’re trying to tap into something primal and universal through the act of mark-making. It feels like he's in dialogue with other printmakers and painters, riffing off their ideas and pushing them in new directions. It’s a good reminder that art is always a conversation.