The Three Kings 1952 - 1953

Norman Gorbaty's "The Three Kings" is an undated etching, with the image scratched into a metal plate, then inked and pressed onto paper. The monochromatic palette feels weighty and solemn. I can almost hear the scratching of the needle across the plate; the labor of creation. The lines are dense and scratchy creating a texture that feels both ancient and immediate. The three figures are crowded together, their faces etched with a kind of weary solemnity. They are linked by their shared crowns, yet each seems lost in their own private thoughts. I’m thinking about other printmakers like Käthe Kollwitz or even Picasso, artists who used the graphic nature of printmaking to express deep emotion. Gorbaty's work is different but his approach is similar, embracing the medium's inherent qualities to create a space of inquiry. It reminds me that painting and all image making is an ongoing conversation, we are always building on what came before, even as we push into the unknown.