Repose 1932

Lionel Lindsay made this print, "Repose", and I'm drawn to the process of carving he must have used to create it. There’s a real sense of the hand in those marks. Lindsay’s choices—the stark contrast between light and dark, the textures he coaxes from the wood—they all build this quiet scene. Look at the way he renders the feathers, each line carefully etched to suggest form and depth. It’s almost obsessive, like he’s trying to capture every detail, every nuance of light. And then there’s the foliage in the background, this delicate dance of leaves and branches that creates such a lively contrast with the static forms of the resting fowl. This piece reminds me a little of Dürer's engravings, in that commitment to detail and almost scientific observation. But here, Lindsay brings something uniquely his own. The print invites you to slow down, to really look.