Collector's Items 1945

Grace Albee made this wood engraving, Collector's Items, with incredible detail. There's such controlled mark-making in the rendering of tone and texture, like the soft gradations in the sky created by hatching and cross-hatching, it's amazing! You can tell Albee really understood how to coax the light out of the darkness in this medium. The textures are so present here. The velvety drape of the curtain, the smooth surface of the windowsill, even the rough bark of the distant trees! It all makes for a very sensory experience. But what really grabs me is the juxtaposition of the ornate vase with the stark, bare tree outside. The vase is so contained and decorative, almost like a symbol of cultivated beauty. And then you have this wild, untamed tree reaching up towards the sky. It reminds me a little of the still life works of Giorgio Morandi and their muted colour palettes, humble subject matter, and a focus on the quiet beauty of everyday objects. Ultimately, the way Albee uses this contrast invites you to think about the relationship between artifice and nature, or maybe even the way we try to control the uncontrollable.