Flute Concert c. 1935 - 1943

Sam Swerdloff created this print, called Flute Concert, at some unknown date with graphic precision in black and white. There's a kind of melancholy in the air here; I can almost hear the plaintive notes of the flute weaving around the guitar. The artist’s hand moved with such care, hatching lines to create form and shadow. Swerdloff coaxes a range of tones from the starkness of the monochrome medium. I imagine Swerdloff, pencil in hand, trying to capture the essence of a moment—the quiet concentration of the musicians, the way the light catches on the curve of the guitar. Maybe he's thinking about the long tradition of artists depicting musicians, each trying to capture the magic of music in a still image. And here we are, years later, still looking, still listening, the conversation continues. This artwork reminds me that making art is about trying to hold onto something fleeting, like a musical note, and sharing it with the world.