Ophiuchus (Constellation) 1950

Leo Katz made this intaglio print, Ophiuchus (Constellation), in 1980. The lines are etched, giving a sense of depth to the night sky it evokes. It is very graphic, even diagrammatic. The print reminds me that artmaking is essentially a conversation with materials. Katz works with etching, and so his approach is rooted in the physical and chemical process. The smattering of dots on the plate is actually the residue of the acid in the etching process, it brings out the physicality of it. Look at the way the stars are connected. See how he’s made these really delicate lines connecting up all the stars? It’s almost childlike, like connecting the dots in a puzzle. The overall effect is one of reverence and wonder, where each mark is part of an ongoing exploration. It's like seeing echoes of Albrecht Dürer's celestial maps, but with a modern sensibility. Art, like the night sky, keeps expanding, inviting us to lose ourselves in its vastness.