Urban Eclipse 1955

Patt Vaccaro made this print, Urban Eclipse, in 1955, layering different forms of blues, yellows, reds, and greens. It looks like a city in itself, coming into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Patt here, imagining what it might have been like to create such a layered and colourful print. What was he thinking when he decided where to place the shapes? I like the texture, the surface, and the physicality of the medium. There is a wonderful push and pull. The ink is thin, allowing the blue to peek through, like a city obscured by cloud. Each gesture here, each block of colour communicates feeling, intention, and meaning. The bold use of geometric shapes relates to his wider practice and body of work, as well as the work of other painters. I feel like I am looking at a Paul Klee, who was also interested in simple forms and symbols. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.