Earth Forms 1954

Editor: This is "Earth Forms" by Norma Morgan. It's hard to pin down a date, but it’s a striking print. The sharp contrast creates a really dramatic landscape. What's your take on it? Curator: I see Morgan grappling with the historical legacy of landscape printmaking. How does she, as a Black woman artist, enter a genre traditionally dominated by white male perspectives? The abstraction is key, perhaps distancing the work from direct representational claims, instead exploring the underlying geological and social forces that shape the land. Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered the power dynamics at play in landscape art. Curator: Exactly. Consider, too, the medium itself – printmaking made art accessible, public. How does Morgan use that potential for democratization to comment on land ownership and access? Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. I'll never look at landscapes the same way again. Curator: Nor will I. Thank you for that thought-provoking observation.