Gas Pump 1951

Karl Eugene Fortess made this lithograph, Gas Pump, using a traditional printmaking process, in which an image is drawn on a stone or metal plate and then printed. The texture of the lithographic crayon is evident in the print's many details, especially in the contrasts between light and shadow. The artist coaxes a full range of gray tones to give the print depth and atmosphere. Look at the sharp lines that define the architectural shapes of the buildings, contrasted with the softer shading in the sky. But why a gas pump? By the time Fortess made this print, the automobile and its infrastructure had transformed the American landscape. What once was open prairie had become a network of highways and roadside businesses. But Fortess seems less interested in celebrating progress than in documenting its consequences. The scene before us is desolate. The gas pump, a symbol of modernity, is surrounded by decay and neglect. The image challenges conventional hierarchies between fine art and more vernacular subjects, inviting us to consider the social and economic impact of progress.