Milton uses dense values and lines to create a chaotic scene accented by
careful placement of rounded high-key areas. It appears to be an instant before
two heavy trains moving at opposite directions that have already attempted to
break are about to collide. |
This incredibly detailed etching depicts a scene buried deep within a "mega" metropolis, where two trains are about to collide. One has already stopped
motion in ruin, while the next will soon join. The texture Milton created hints
at the grime, sounds and poisoned air of large cities.
Value does the heavy lifting in this work; middling and dense are placed in
close proximity while light is more isolated. There is thin line
work, both curved and rigid, especially towards the top where the large
structures are defined. Incredibly detailed shapes populate the canvas, and
there are areas of translucence toward the background. There is a subtle
pattern installed with the light square shapes scattered throughout, which
plays off very well against the unique value arrangement Milton has created.
Plastic space is consistently established with diminishing detail, a scattering
of orthogonals cropped to the right and value contrast calibration from front
(terminal) to back (blended). Transparency is used toward the upper portion of
the scene to imply a veil of smoke. There is so much going on in this work that static, if not symmetrical, pictorial balance was used. While there is elemental action present, pictorially this work is static. The full value range is present but placed carefully. Mechanical and natural
shapes contrast well against each other. One thing that causes this work to
stand out is the overall attention to minuscule detail.
To the lower center, extreme tension is implied by the silhouette-like
depiction of the train and the disaster that is about to occur in that same
area. Following the value arrangement brings the eye across to the cropped
high-key vapor to the left, and along the many literal lines carrying a
right-ward direction. The picture frame reinforces the lateral feel of this work, while the
viewer is standing a safe distance off from the event.
Milton’s use of etching is so expert that it’s difficult to tell this work is
constructed entirely through scratch marks. There are many strengths of this
work mentioned here; to me the most impressive is installing both wide and
blended value ranges to make such a rich, masterful work.
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