The Year's at the Spring 1920

This image, "The Year's at the Spring" by Harry Clarke, looks like it was made with ink, maybe even etched. I can imagine Clarke hunched over this, carefully hatching each tiny line to create a sense of light and shadow, or depth. The image depicts a bookshelf that almost feels alive. Each book has its own personality, its own set of markings, like a little face staring back at us. They have titles like "Peacock Pie." You can tell Clarke was thinking hard about composition, about how these marks could come together to create depth and texture, a harmonious chaos. I love the one book that is falling, it’s rebellious and doesn’t want to stand still. The lamp in the middle is the focal point, tying the work together. Clarke’s work reminds me of other illustrators and printmakers, all of them in conversation across time.