Tombstone 1942

Albert Urban made this striking print, Tombstone, sometime around 1942. It’s an image built from graphic marks. It's a process of layering, cutting back and forth, almost like a conversation happening on the block of wood. I'm really drawn to the way Urban uses the texture of the wood itself to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. The white lines carve through the image like scars, revealing the underlying form while also obscuring it. They remind me of Cy Twombly's nervous, searching lines, and how those gestures accumulate meaning over time. Look at the upper left corner of the image. A form reaches up almost as if it wants to escape the boundary. Maybe it relates to art as an ongoing conversation. It's not about having all the answers but embracing the questions.