Sunday Noon c. 1940 - 1950

Alan Horton Crane made this print, "Sunday Noon" using black ink on paper. I can imagine him, carefully rendering the textures of the brick wall and the leaves on the tree. I wonder about the kind of patience it takes to build a scene, bit by bit, from tiny hatches of dark ink. The artist is building a world, not just reflecting it. The tonal gradations evoke a sunny day in a sleepy town. He focuses on the nuances of light and shadow, the details in the architecture. The tree is like a dark curtain, framing the scene, its leaves alive with tiny marks. It reminds me of the prints of Whistler, who also explored atmospheric effects with etching. Isn't it amazing how artists, across time, echo each other's concerns? Crane shows us that creativity is a conversation, an ongoing exploration of seeing and feeling.