Shadow of Tears

Lauren Andersen

Thus far, nothing is found on the printmaker Lauren Andersen, despite this evidence of her talent, which indicates a knowledge of the experimental work done at Atelier 17 in the 1950s. Appearing to be an image of figures underground - perhaps the buried, the dead - with a distant city and the sweeping hills of a stark, barren landscape in the background, this composition holds the marks of a one who is at home with the techniques of intaglio printmaking and has an eye for composition and color. Sweeping textures in sugar-lift, aquatint, and etching create a choreographed dance on the plate; subtle colors that grade from a warm sand hue to a sorrowful twilight blue capture the beauty of a somber mood.