Grandmother's Hat 1956

Michael Mazur made this print called ‘Grandmother’s Hat’ in 1956, and it’s all about the push and pull of black and white. Can you feel the artist going back and forth, carving away, figuring out how much to reveal and conceal? I wonder what Mazur was thinking, what it felt like to be with his grandmother. It looks like he's trying to remember something that is lost. I bet it was like searching for a memory through a dense fog. It’s pretty cool how he’s captured that feeling with these bold, stark shapes. See how the dark lines create a kind of tangled web? There is something about how the shapes fit together, creating a sort of puzzle. It’s like he’s inviting us to piece together our own memories and associations, not just of hats or grandmothers, but of the way memory works. Anyway, what I love about a piece like this is that it reminds us that art isn't just about what you see, but what you feel and remember.