Southern Memories c. 1940s

Merritt Mauzey made this print, Southern Memories, at some point in the 20th century. It's all in shades of gray, created with dense marks that build up the image like layers of memory. You can almost feel the texture of the wood in the cabin, the roughness of the logs, and the aged quality of the timber. See how the lines vary in thickness and direction, giving the scene a kind of vibrating energy. Then you get down to the flowers and cotton bolls in the foreground and the forms become rounded. I’m drawn to the sunflowers, they're like little suns themselves, even rendered in black and white, they still convey warmth and life. This print reminds me a little of Thomas Hart Benton’s lithographs, with that same sense of place and narrative, but with a more personal, intimate touch. It’s art as a conversation, each artist building upon what came before, each adding their own unique perspective.