Narcissus 1956

Leonard Edmondson made this print, Narcissus, with etching. It’s a medium that embraces process and chance. Check out that dark and moody palette cut through with these pops of green and red, like flares in the dark! Look at the rough, almost ragged edges of the shapes. See how they bleed into one another? It’s like a dreamscape, where things aren't quite solid. The figure itself seems to be emerging from a pool, or maybe sinking into it. I’m drawn to the textures here, the way the ink sits on the surface, creating these subtle but palpable shifts in tone and depth. It reminds me a bit of Goya’s dark, haunting etchings – a similar exploration of the shadowy sides of the human psyche. But with a touch of color, a glimmer of hope, or maybe just a splash of the unexpected. It's a reminder that in art, as in life, there’s always room for ambiguity, for multiple readings.