Babylon 1961

Sid Hammer made this intaglio print, ‘Babylon,’ in 1961. It’s a dense, dark image, and it looks like it was etched into the plate with a fine, almost frantic energy. You know, like when you’re drawing and you just keep going over the same lines, building up this web of marks? Hammer's mark-making creates an image full of contrasts. The rough texture and the stark monochrome palette give it a visceral, almost overwhelming quality. There's this big, imposing figure looming over a crowd, its form described with these looping lines, like a cross between a deity and a machine. And down below, the mass of people are rendered with these quick, scribbled marks, like they're all just part of this chaotic scene. The way Hammer uses line to create form reminds me a little of Goya, especially his darker, more unsettling prints. Both artists embrace ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations to the work. It’s this sense of openness, of not quite knowing what you’re looking at, that makes it so compelling.