Untitled (Deer Dance) 1949

This etching, "Untitled (Deer Dance)," by William Howard Shuster presents a scene with this incredible quality of line that just grabs you. It’s like he's thinking on the plate, figuring out the image as he goes. The texture is everything here, isn't it? Look at the smoke billowing from the building - it's so alive! Shuster coaxes so much out of these tonal variations. And then, your eye wanders down to those figures in the foreground. They feel so grounded. This contrast between the solidity of the building and figures and the ephemerality of the smoke is, to me, what gives the piece its energy and tension. Shuster’s work reminds me a little bit of Marsden Hartley's explorations of American folk traditions. It’s like Shuster is trying to capture something essential about the human experience, a ritual, with no easy answers. I think that's what makes the image so compelling.