Rain and the Sea 1946

Karl Schrag made this etching, "Rain and the Sea," in 1946. Look at the top of the image, where the lines feel like they're coming right at us, almost violently. It's like Schrag is showing us the weather as a sensation, something we feel. The physical making of this print really strikes me. See how the lines describing the rain are sharp, almost jagged? They contrast with the softer, more fluid lines describing the sea. It's like he's using the very act of mark-making to show us the difference between these two elements. Below, the waves are almost scribbled, chaotic, giving a real sense of movement and energy. Schrag reminds me of other artists who were fascinated by the power of nature, like Turner. But while Turner went for grand spectacle, Schrag finds the drama in the everyday. The beauty of this piece is in its ambiguity, its refusal to settle on one single meaning.