Fireplace 1930

Wanda Gág made this print, Fireplace, using lithographic crayon and ink. Look at how she renders the surface of the fireplace. The strokes are all going in the same direction. This gives it a kind of soft, brushed texture, like the nap of a rug. Then, inside the fireplace, the darkest darks create a sense of infinite depth. But what really grabs me are those andirons – they're like little dancing figures! They have this wild, almost cartoonish energy. The rest of the composition is quite formal and architectural, but they introduce a playful element, a hint of the surreal. Gág's lithographs often feature these kinds of contrasts – between the domestic and the fantastic, the real and the imagined. You might see a relationship to the work of artists like Max Ernst, who were also exploring dreamlike imagery around the same time. Ultimately, the beauty of art is in the eye of the beholder.