The Year's at the Spring 1920

Harry Clarke made this exquisite monochromatic piece called 'The Year's at the Spring' using ink and paper. I’m just imagining Harry bent over the page, breathing in and out, trying to fix this feeling—this vision—of the spring. Look at that little face. He's got the dark ink and a sense of drama and ornament. I wonder what the process was like? The guy is so controlled, so stylized, yet he creates a world of fantasy and escape. The floral motifs and delicate linework create a sense of growth and emergence. I bet Harry was an obsessive. I get it! Look at his work as a conversation with Art Nouveau. He's in the mix, with the greats, dreaming, drawing, and creating his own little world. That's what art is, right? A conversation. A big, messy, beautiful conversation across time.