Wasps 1920

This is Wasps, an etching made by John Taylor Arms. The criss-crossing beams of light, so graphic and bold, cut through the dark aquamarine sky, right? It's like the artist is thinking about how things move in space and how they relate to each other. The planes are caught in these beams of light, making me think of the artist's own thoughts, darting here and there. The crisp, clean lines remind me of the precision of engineering, but there's also an emotional quality. I can imagine Arms, maybe with a furrowed brow, carefully etching each line, thinking about balance and movement and the space between things. It reminds me a bit of some of the Italian futurists, but maybe with a little more stillness. You know, artists are always talking to each other, even across time. It's all one big conversation. And that’s the best thing about art: there’s always more than one way to look at it, think about it, and feel it.