This is an engraving by iconic American artist Armin Landeck. The subject is a bit unusual as it depicts a country scene and most of his work is set in the city. The focus, as with most of his work is the illumination, but in this case it is the moon providing the lighting rather than street lights or light bulbs. Landeck is a master of this and it is a feature of his work dating back to the 30s and 40s. The image is created by engraving, where the instruments are used to carve directly into the metal plate. This results in a harsh, sharp line that is well suited to this study. Landeck uses the point source of the moon to create interesting geometric patterns of light and shadow giving an abstract sensibility. The flattened perspective combined with these geometric shapes is reminiscent of Cubism. In this case, he uses curved lines to soften the shapes and provide contour. He effectively creates a moonlit country scene with marvelous variations in light and shadow. This print was produced in 1953 for the International Graphic Society in an edition of 200 and is K. 108 in his catalogue raissone.
Armin Landeck (1905-1984)

Born in Wisconsin, Armin Landeck studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Columbia University. During his student days in New York, he took classes at the Arts Students League and explored the museums and galleries of New York. It was during this time that he began experimenting with printmaking, producing his first print The Armenian. Thus, began a lengthy artistic career. Best known for his haunting views of Manhattan and architectural interiors, Landeck also recorded still-life arrangements and landscape settings in Connecticut.
In the 1930s, Landeck joined forces with Martin Lewis to open the School of Printmakers in the 14th Street Studio of George Miller in New York. Together, the artists offered classes on lithography, etching, drypoint, mezzotint, and wood engraving. Sadly, the Depression forced them to close their school only after a year. But Landeck continued to emerge as a towering force in New York artistic circles as he experimented with different media such as copper engraving. A member of the Society of American Etchers (known today as the Society of American Graphic Artists), he was also elected to the prestigious National Academy of Design, the Institute of the American Academy, and the Institute of Arts and Letters. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, he won several other acclaimed awards.
At a time when the Manhattan skyline was transformed dramatically in the first few decades of the 20th century, his prints revealed the dense majesty of the cityscape dotted with architectural masterpieces like the Woolworth and Chrysler buildings. His prints also reveal a preoccupation with shadows, an element that featured heavily in early black-and-white cinema, particularly in film noir. The unusual angles, lonely streets, and nocturnal settings in his images can be related to the poignant loneliness of urban life depicted by contemporaries like Edward Hopper, John Sloan, and Martin Lewis. (Courtesy of Georgia Museum of Art).