Train Tracks Blue (2010)
Signed Print

Dylan’s Train Tracks series features many single-colour iterations of the same railway composition. Despite its name, however, Train Tracks Blue is not one of them. Instead, the print uses very natural colours, with grey tracks, a blue sky, and a green verge. The piece is simply named after the colour of the sky, as this tends to be the main focus and emotional vehicle within the Train Tracks works. The blue tonality evokes associations with melancholy, distance, and introspection whilst simultaneously referencing Blues music traditions that influenced Dylan's musical development. The 2010 creation date positions this work within Dylan's period of renewed activity, following his 2007 public debut and preceding his major series like Brazil and Deep Focus.

The railway subject matter appears more geometrically simplified than in his later Train Track works, suggesting this piece represents an earlier exploration of the motif's visual possibilities. The subdued, low-contrast colours eliminates colour variation as distraction, focusing viewer attention on compositional elements and the emotional weight of the scene. The viewer is able to concentrate on the meditative quality of the composition, inviting contemplation of both the physical landscape and the emotional resonances embedded within such quintessentially American cultural imagery.