Artwork of the Week: November 24
This print depicts a barren fruit orchard near the artist’s home in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Using a combination of pastels and colored pencils, artist Jim Lee first sketched this print en plein air before later creating the woodcarvings that would make up this multi-layered print. This process allowed Lee to explore and observe firsthand the relationship between people and the land they inhabit.
The numerous gnarled tree branches curve into exaggerated twists, pulling our attention inward. The trees' dark pillars stand out against a patchwork of Connecticut’s fall colors: burnt orange, fading green, pale red, and a crisp ice-blue sky. Placed in a row too neat to be the work of nature, the trees signify a human presence in the landscape. The duality between man and nature is further explored through the presence of a small, man-made shed and a worn-down walking path. The uncontrollable curl of the branches and the powerful rise of the mountains in the background represent Earth’s assertion of its will and defiance to the efforts of man.
The changing scenery in Lee’s work invites us to ponder the delicate balance of give and take between man and nature, and to strive to live in harmony with nature, relinquishing our control. Leaves fall and trees cease to bear fruit, donning nature in its autumn coat. As we enter the week of Thanksgiving, this painting also reminds us to be thankful for all of the gifts nature bestows upon us.
