Park 1967

Curator: So, we're standing before Leonard Lehrer's 1967 etching, simply titled "Park." It's a study in black and white, a surprisingly tranquil landscape considering the sharp lines used throughout. Editor: It feels…empty, yet teeming with detail. A study of winter perhaps? The starkness of the branches against that soft grey sky is rather melancholic. One could even get lost staring at each line, it must've taken such patient effort! Curator: Etching is, at its heart, a patient act of labor. Lehrer would have coated a metal plate with wax, then meticulously scratched the image into it before bathing the plate in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. He then inked it and pressed it onto paper. All of that physical work translated to capture the calm depicted in the park, its paths. Editor: The materials echo the mood, the cold precision of the metal mirrored in the etching process reflecting a somber almost severe park view. Those clean paths invite yet don't necessarily welcome—it lacks warmth, wouldn't you agree? The ground almost appears scratchy and uninviting to walk on! Curator: I see what you mean, but those precise, repeated lines used to create the grass could also hint at manicured control. In 1967, there was a significant conversation happening about formalism in art; a move towards distilling images to their core elements. Could Lehrer be inviting us to contemplate constructed, formal beauty? Or maybe he merely saw a pleasing composition in the juxtaposition of geometric walls with organic trees. It truly captures one of many realities. Editor: Maybe. Or, we could consider who has access to spaces like these—to “Parks.” The geometric rigidity almost reminds me of social structures, the careful boundaries, all laid bare. I am led to wonder for whom these parks exist and what statement is Lehrer trying to portray. Curator: So much implied tension captured in what seems a calm view! I love that the seemingly mundane evokes these dialogues. Editor: Yes. All stemming from the materials and this patient technique Lehrer used to share his perspective of “Park." Thank you for pointing this intriguing perspective out, it does allow new and profound understandings of art!