Jitterbug Swing c. 1939

David Burke made "Jitterbug Swing" as a print, and you can tell that process is the point. The colours are laid down almost like tiles, but each is slightly transparent, so they layer up to make something that vibrates. I'm thinking about how the printmaking process allows the creation of multiple originals. There's a kind of built-in repetition and variation, like the best dance moves. Look at the colours. They're not trying to be realistic; they're trying to be felt. The ochre and reds create a warm, almost feverish atmosphere. The texture, even in reproduction, hints at the physical act of carving the block and layering the inks. See how the figures are chaotically placed in the composition, yet somehow it works, they're all jumping out of their skins, in a kind of ecstasy. This piece reminds me a little of Kirchner's woodcuts, both in the angularity of the figures and the raw emotionality. It's like Burke is saying art is a conversation, a dance across time. It's about embracing the mess and finding beauty in the unexpected.