In the Park c. 1939

Joseph Rollo's "In the Park," made with graphite on paper, invites us into a world seen through the soft lens of memory. The piece is built from countless tiny strokes, a labor of love. The hatching and cross-hatching that models the forms of the trees, figures and skyline also describes the passage of time and light. Look at the way the light bounces off the water, it shimmers and dances, almost alive. The woman reading in the foreground is drawn in exquisite detail, her face a picture of serenity. She seems lost in her own world, oblivious to the rowboats on the water or the skyscrapers in the distance. There's a kind of naïve charm to Rollo's work that reminds me of Milton Avery. Like Avery, Rollo finds beauty in simplicity, in the quiet moments of everyday life. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be loud or bombastic, it can also be a whisper, a gentle invitation to slow down and appreciate the world around us.