Case No.--- c. 1935 - 1941

Curator: This compelling print, titled "Case No.---," created by Boris Gorelick sometime between 1935 and 1941, presents a stark and emotionally charged scene. Editor: The immediate impact is one of profound grief. The composition, with its heavy use of black ink, accentuates a sense of somber finality. The sharp angles and distorted figures add to the disquieting atmosphere. Curator: Gorelick was deeply concerned with social justice and the plight of the working class. This image, likely created during the Great Depression, serves as a powerful indictment of the systemic inequalities that led to such devastating human loss. Editor: Absolutely, one can observe the expert rendering of the figures, their postures and placement orchestrate a scene dominated by strong lines, angles, and light and shadow relationships. Note how the pallid face in the coffin becomes the focal point, framed by angular shrouds. The formal rigor echoes German Expressionist printmaking. Curator: The faceless figures that fill the composition evoke a shared suffering across economic and social lines. Each of the figures present has a hauntingly pained expression and appears representative of the widespread anguish inflicted by poverty. It’s not merely a depiction of death, but of the social forces contributing to premature mortality. Editor: The contrasting textures are intriguing as well; the smoothness of the shrouded body set against the rougher textures of the surrounding setting add visual complexity, creating focal areas which guide your eyes across the tragedy, amplifying its emotional power. Curator: Examining the piece as an allegory, we can unpack themes of mourning, abandonment, and dehumanization prevalent within the lower economic strata during times of global recession. The very lack of specificity— "Case No.---"— renders it universal, implicating societal systems rather than isolating an individual tragedy. Editor: I concur. Considering this print, my gaze continuously reverts back to its strategic interplay between darkness and light, serving to reinforce the devastating, mournful affect of "Case No.---." Curator: Reflecting on this, Gorelick's "Case No.---" delivers an enduring message of resistance through memorializing social disparity. Editor: And, as the finality washes over me, its composition lingers within me, demonstrating the efficacy and force held within masterful formal artistic decisions.