Untitled 

Albert Christ-Janer made this untitled print using lithography, a process rooted in skilled labor and craft. The image is built from layers of ink applied to a stone or metal plate. Look closely at the velvety blacks and nuanced grays, achieved through careful manipulation of the lithographic stone. The texture comes not just from the ink, but from the surface it sits on – and the pressure used in the printing. Lithography allows for a range of marks, from sharp lines to soft washes, evident in the horizon line and blurred foreground. Think about the labor involved in preparing the stone, drawing the image, and pulling each print. It is an inherently reproducible medium, but each impression has unique qualities that can never be replicated, therefore imbuing the image with a tension between mass production and craft. By attending to materials and making, we can appreciate not only the aesthetic qualities of this print but also its connection to social and cultural histories. This challenges traditional views of fine art as separate from craft and industrial production.