Filbert Street 

Curator: This print, titled "Filbert Street", is the work of Salvatore Pinto. Created using etching, it showcases a cityscape rendered in striking detail and line work. Editor: Whoa, this print practically sings the blues, doesn’t it? The stark contrast, all those jagged lines – it’s got a real raw, urban, almost apocalyptic feel. Curator: It's a powerful piece, depicting urban decay. I wonder what aspects of urbanism resonated with Pinto, considering this almost desolate depiction? Was he criticizing policies of development perhaps? Editor: Well, look at how Pinto renders these little figures scurrying amongst the rubble. To me they speak to resilience. Life persists. Even beauty, ironically. It’s a gritty sort of beautiful. Curator: Etching, especially line etching like this, certainly lends itself well to gritty subjects, but the choice speaks to certain values doesn't it? Prints were and in some circles still are, considered somewhat "lesser" art. Editor: Sure, sure... accessible! To be honest, there's a cinematic quality to the composition here; it's almost theatrical. A set, perhaps, for some grim drama. It's a bit much, I have to admit, for everyday life. Curator: Perhaps he was hinting at dramas and class tensions always latent within a city in the 20th Century. This sort of Realism attempts to lay bare that stage upon which such things may unfold. Editor: Maybe. Still I can't shake the image of the artist meticulously scratching away at that plate, line after line. It’s kind of obsessive, isn’t it? You can feel Pinto’s hand in it, that’s for sure. Curator: You've pointed out its intensity very well, I'm not sure, however, that "obsessive" is quite the term to apply it, as if focus can't be constructive too. Regardless, an undeniably captivating piece. Editor: True. Compelling, but not quite comforting. On that much we can agree.