Bridges 1933

Ernest Boyer made this image, Bridges, with a printmaking technique that creates a world of subtle textures and tones. There's a real push and pull between light and dark here, and you can see how the lines create a depth that invites you in. Up close, it’s all about the surface. The bridge itself looms with this stark white presence, built from many tiny marks. You can almost feel the weight of that structure pressing down. And then, in contrast, the smoke billowing from the train is light, ethereal, almost like a cloud. That interplay, that dance of opposites, is what makes the piece sing. It reminds me of some of the early 20th century American modernists, like the precisionist prints of Charles Sheeler, but with a softer, more human touch. Art, like life, is all about finding connections and appreciating the beauty in the process.