The Sign 1945

Glen Alps made this black and white print, likely in the 1940s, using lithography. Look how the image is built from a series of marks. They are not quite lines, not quite shading, but a sort of scribble or hatching that brings the whole scene into focus. There’s a gritty texture here, that feels like it must have been translated from the stone itself. The composition is complex: mountains and buildings are pushed together in the background, while in the foreground a worker bends over his wheelbarrow, ready to move the barrels. There's a strange juxtaposition between the natural environment and the signs advertising "Vita" and "Ca". This feels similar to the work of artists like Jacob Lawrence, who combined a narrative with the materials of his craft. There's a sense of ambiguity here, a story being told that is both specific and open to interpretation. It's a reminder that art often poses more questions than it answers, inviting us to find our own way through its visual language.