Nettleton's Mill 1943

William Sylvester Gamble made this block print, Nettleton's Mill, sometime in the 20th century. What strikes me most is how Gamble coaxes such a range of tones from what is essentially a black and white image. It makes me think about the nature of printmaking and how each mark counts, and how those marks accumulate to suggest a scene. The texture and surface of the print have a real tactile quality. The composition is very graphic and almost dreamlike. In the top left, the clouds are described as undulating, wormlike shapes. I'm drawn to how the sky feels both flat and infinite. I keep coming back to the way Gamble makes these tonal shifts using only white marks. It feels like the image is illuminated from within. This reminds me of the work of artists like Thomas Nast, who also explored the power of mark-making to convey complex ideas. There's a real conversation happening here about the relationship between art, industry, and the natural world. Ultimately, this print invites us to contemplate the layers of meaning embedded within a seemingly simple scene.