Flight Into Egypt 1915

Curator: Timothy Cole's "Flight Into Egypt," created in 1915, uses the wood engraving technique to depict a poignant scene. Editor: It feels heavy, somehow. The black and white, of course, contributes, but there's a density to the image, like a gathering storm or a collective holding of breath. It has a haunting quality, and something about its scale adds to that—a small world, encircled by shadow. Curator: The formal elements certainly evoke that feeling. Cole's intricate cross-hatching creates deep shadows, emphasizing the figures' vulnerability against the landscape, drawing attention to the textural variation. Notice how the density of the engraving is used to direct the gaze. Editor: And all these figures – are those angels floating overhead? It’s wild how many are crowded into the top left. Are they protective spirits, hovering over the Holy Family as they escape? Curator: Indeed, this imagery closely mirrors the Biblical narrative. The landscape becomes a psychological space as much as a physical one; their perilous journey and the celestial chorus observing all inform our reading of their emotional state. Note how strategically Cole employs semiotics through landscape conventions that emphasize nature mirroring divine guidance. Editor: I suppose it all comes down to choices. How much light versus dark, figure against ground… And even how those angels are arranged; their presence feels so immediate, not some distant godly realm, which gives this an intensity – especially set against the weary lines of Joseph. The mood is somber. Do you think that feeling something he was aiming at? Curator: It certainly aligns with Late-Romantic and Pre-Modernist aesthetics, often wrestling with profound existential and societal shifts through symbolic imagery and heightened emotional expression. Editor: When I look at art, I see not just the figures or the technique, but sometimes... I see souls. Cole clearly has found something universal with this “Flight”. The somberness is perhaps about understanding displacement, finding solace. Curator: Ultimately, these woodcut techniques effectively evoke deep emotion through skilled execution and contextual understanding of their narrative purpose. Editor: A journey rendered not in simple ink, but in something like pure feeling—etched into wood and pressed onto paper, forever.