Plate - "Bank of U.S., Philadelphia" c. 1936

Helmut Hiatt’s plate of the "Bank of U.S., Philadelphia" is a trip through time and process. The monochrome palette is a springboard, not a limitation. It feels more like an etching, maybe a historical document, but on a plate. The surface texture is key, those tiny, precise marks that build up to form the image. Look closely, and you can almost feel the pressure of the tool creating each line, each shadow. The floral patterns around the edge are very precise, but the Bank itself is a little less so, as though the building and the nature surrounding it were two different worlds. That central image, the Bank, it's like a stage set, inviting us to imagine the stories that unfolded there. And the plate itself, a humble object elevated to art. It's about the relationship between history and craft, and how we choose to frame our memories. In some ways it is like the work of Vija Celmins, how she also takes these everyday scenes and makes them monumental. It’s like an ongoing conversation, right?