Black on Black, Pittsburgh 1948

This lithograph, titled "Black on Black, Pittsburgh" by Prentiss Taylor, is an image of a flight of steps climbing a city overpass, all rendered in shades of grey. I can imagine Taylor, out in the dead of night, trying to capture the feeling of the place. The loneliness of the streets. The way the light pools. His Pittsburgh is a stage set, a scene from a noir film. And what’s behind the gate? What’s that glow? The eye is drawn to this ambiguous light source which might be moonlight, or perhaps the city's hidden heart. The stark contrast creates an atmosphere of suspense, inviting viewers to project their own narratives onto the scene. I think of Piranesi and other etchers. We're all in conversation together, you know? We all influence each other. We are branches on a tree.