Union c. 1940

Tom A. Robertson made this print, called Union, at some point during his lifetime. The overall impression I get from the layering of colours is one of warmth, a sense of closeness. Looking at the colour choices, there's something about the way the yellow overlaps the red that creates this vibrating effect, and then you get these sharp contrasts with the black. It’s like the forms are emerging from the darkness, or perhaps sinking back into it. I love the subtle way that the green is used in the lower part of the image and in the halo surrounding the forms. It has the effect of subtly grounding the image. For me, the print has echoes of some of the woodcuts made by the German Expressionists. There’s a similar emotional intensity, but without quite so much angst.