Nude in motion 1978

Clarence Holbrook Carter made this screenprint called 'Nude in motion' with flat areas of colour – red and orange. What I love about screenprinting is that it allows artists to play with layering and transparency in a really direct way. It's a process where the hand and the eye work together. I find myself returning to the orange outline of the body. It's solid, but it also feels like it's emerging from the red ground. There's an echo of the figure behind, a shadow in a slightly darker hue. This creates a sense of depth, a visual echo. This work reminds me a little of Matisse's cut-outs, where simplified forms and bold colours create a similar sense of movement and energy. I think both artists are showing us that art isn't about perfection but about the beauty of imperfection. It's about the joy of seeing and making and thinking.