Mornings with Judd (Second State) 1970

Peter Milton made this print, Mornings with Judd (Second State), using etching. It’s all in shades of gray, built up with intricate cross-hatching. Milton’s process seems meticulous, controlled, yet it suggests something ephemeral. Look closely and you can see how the textures vary. There’s a contrast between the smooth columns, the soft focus foliage, and the figures on the upper deck. The artist uses shadow to create depth and mood. The scene is both inviting and a little unsettling, like a memory or a dream. See the vertical lines, how they run up and down, giving a sense of gravity and order? Then notice how the light flares at the horizon, causing you to question the perspective and spatial relationships in the image. Milton’s work has a quality that reminds me of Piranesi’s architectural fantasies. Like him, Milton’s prints leave you feeling like you have entered a world that’s at once familiar and deeply strange.