Man's Dream 1935

Harry Sternberg made this print, 'Man's Dream', with a plate, ink, and paper. Looking at the image, I imagine Sternberg, like some kind of printmaking sorcerer, carefully layering the ink, wiping away, adding, and building the image from dark to light. There's this tension between the solidity of the plane and the ephemeral dream state suggested by the title. The angel-like figure, floating weightlessly above the propellers, it feels like a symbol of yearning, maybe a desire to transcend the earthly and the mechanical. Was Sternberg thinking about the rapid advancements in aviation and the human desire to fly, to reach for the stars? The stars themselves feel like a painterly gesture, a scattering of light against the dark ground. It's like he's reminding us that even in the most seemingly realistic depictions, there's always the artist's hand, the artist's touch shaping our perception. We, as artists, are always in conversation, building upon each other's visions. It’s a reminder that there is always more than one way to see, and that ambiguity can be a source of power.