Birthplace of Jesse James 1930 - 1935

Fred Geary’s ‘Birthplace of Jesse James’ is a print made from a wood engraving. This is a relief process, where the artist carves away the areas that will remain white, leaving the image to stand in relief. It’s a demanding, highly skilled process. Geary has coaxed a remarkable range of tone and texture from the woodblock. Look at the way he renders the weathered logs of the house, the rough-hewn shingles of the roof, and the dense foliage of the trees. All are evoked through the careful, controlled cutting of the block. The stark contrast between black and white gives the print a graphic quality, but it also emphasizes the play of light and shadow on the scene. Wood engraving is traditionally associated with commercial illustration, so it's interesting to see Geary using it to depict a vernacular subject. In doing so, he elevates the everyday, and invites us to see beauty in the ordinary. The print reminds us that even the humblest of materials can be transformed into something extraordinary with skill and care.