Hall of Fame 1951

Edward Landon made this print, "Hall of Fame," sometime around 1951, using a medium that allows for these flat planes of color. It's like he's making his own little stage set! Look at the texture of the colors. They're opaque, but they seem to be slightly translucent. It's as if the walls of this space have been painted with tempera. I'm drawn to the emblem on the ochre wall, it looks like an ancient shield, a figure of protection. The colors are soft and muted, almost dreamlike. Landon's work reminds me of Marsden Hartley, who had a similar fascination with folk art. Like Hartley, Landon embraces simplicity and ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations to the work. It suggests that art isn't about finding fixed meanings but about engaging in a constant, playful dialogue with the world around us.