Contentment c. 1920

Clarence Trano made this tiny etching called “Contentment”, and everything about it feels hushed. The cross-hatched lines create this beautiful, delicate texture, a sort of scrim that makes the scene feel both present and far away. It reminds me that artmaking is about a process of layering, both physically and conceptually, where each mark builds upon the last, creating a history of decisions. Look at the way Trano renders the figure’s outstretched hand. It’s barely there, just a ghost of a hand, but it’s enough to suggest a connection to the unseen, the unknown. That single gesture holds the whole piece together for me. It speaks to the quiet, interior world of the figure, and maybe to the artist, as well. This piece feels a little like the work of Milton Avery, who also had a way of capturing these kinds of still, contemplative moments with so few marks. Ultimately, art is all about what is suggested, rather than what is explicitly stated.