Saint Paul 1950

Frederick Arnold Dirnfeld made this print of Saint Paul, sometime in the mid-twentieth century. Look at how Dirnfeld coaxes detail from a simple sepia palette of etched lines and tones. This feels intuitive, a process of discovery, not unlike my own approach to painting. Up close, the textures are so varied. In the face, the lines are densely packed, creating shadows that give depth to the features. Then, in the beard, the lines become looser, almost wispy, capturing the soft texture of the hair. Notice the contrast between the sharp, angular lines defining the nose and brow, and the delicate, almost trembling lines that form the folds of his garment. The whole piece feels very grounded. It reminds me a little of the work of Käthe Kollwitz in its emotional intensity and its focus on the human figure. But where Kollwitz often used lithography, Dirnfeld's etching feels more intimate, more like a personal conversation. Art is like that, isn't it? An ongoing dialogue between artists, across time and space.