Garment Center, New York c. 1928

Margaret Lowengrund made this print, "Garment Center, New York," using etching, which is all about line work and tonal variation. I can imagine her, bent over a metal plate, carefully drawing with a sharp needle through a waxy ground, exposing the metal underneath. Then comes the acid bath, biting into those lines, and finally, the inking and printing. It's such a physical process, right? I imagine she's walking the streets of New York, inspired by the geometry, feeling a vibe, soaking it all in. She finds her spot and then she's trying to capture the energy and verticality of the city's architecture with all its towers. The lines create form and shadow, giving volume to the buildings, and the contrast in line weights creates a sense of depth and atmosphere. The marks remind me of other artists who explore urban landscapes, like the precision of the German Neue Sachlichkeit artists like Otto Dix.