Inferno 1949

Ernest Bradfield Freed made this plate called 'Inferno' with etching, and it's a real wrestle of marks. The whole thing is just teeming with lines, like he’s mapped out every muscle and sinew, really getting into the nitty-gritty of the body. There's no easy way out, no smooth skin, only raw physicality! Look at the figure at the back right, the way the striations of the buttocks lead into the spine, a really physical and anatomical approach to image making. You can tell he was really thinking about the structure and form, not just drawing pretty pictures. It reminds me of some of the early expressionist woodcuts. There’s a sense of urgency and intensity that feels incredibly modern, even though it's playing with classical themes. What a conversation! A real wrestling match across time.