East River, Evening 1919

Rudolph Ruzicka made this print, East River, Evening, and right away I’m drawn into the way the artist has approached mark making. See how everything is built up from these very distinct lines, it’s not about concealing the process, but making it the whole point of the piece. I’m really struck by the way Ruzicka handles texture. The clouds are these fluid looking shapes, but then you look closer, and you see they’re made from the same sharp lines as everything else. It’s like he's saying that even the most ephemeral things are made from something solid, something tangible. Take the water, it's created with horizontal lines, reflecting the sky. See that figure sitting alone on the bench? The lines of their clothes curve and bend, giving them weight and presence in the scene. The way Ruzicka captures the feeling of a specific time and place reminds me of Whistler’s Thames set. Both artists really embrace the ambiguity of printmaking. There’s not one single way to read it, and I think that’s what makes it so compelling.