Engineer in Power Plant c. 1920s

Lewis Hine captured this image of an engineer in a power plant, with what looks like a camera and film, at a time when technology was changing the world. The beauty of this image lies in its texture. See how the light plays across the engineer's clothing, each fold and wrinkle telling a story of labor and wear. It's almost sculptural, the way the light defines his form against the dark machinery. There's a realness to the way Hine lets the details speak, not hiding the grit, but embracing it. Look at the engineer’s hands on that wheel. It is a moment of action, of control, of human interaction with the machine. It is about the intimacy of labor, and the dignity of a working person. Hine’s approach reminds me of the social realists, artists like Käthe Kollwitz, who also found beauty and pathos in the everyday lives of working people. It's a reminder that art can be found anywhere, in any subject, if you just take the time to look.