Ohio Thunder Storm c. 1935

Walter Dubois Richards made this lithograph print, Ohio Thunder Storm, and look at all that mark-making! The whole scene, from the farmhouse to the churning sky, is built up from tiny, individual strokes of ink. You can almost feel him working to capture the drama of the storm through all these marks. See how they darken and intensify the cloud, and how they catch the light on the side of the building? There’s a kind of raw honesty to this piece. It reminds me of Marsden Hartley’s landscapes, that same sense of place and a sort of elemental power, but with a folksier, more intimate feel. It's not trying to be slick or showy; it's just trying to get something down, and isn’t that what art is all about?