Subway Riders 1950

S. Kaplan’s woodcut, Subway Riders, probably made in the mid-20th century, captures a scene of urban transit with striking graphic simplicity. I imagine the artist digging into the wood block, carving away at the surface to reveal these figures. The high contrast of black ink on white paper gives the image a bold presence, but there’s so much detail in the lines. The artist renders a hat, faces, and clothes with an incredible economy of marks. You can sense the artist observing people and how they sit in the subway. I wonder what Kaplan felt about these individuals, the weariness and resignation on their faces? I imagine the artist was interested in a type of realism that is not so literal. This reminds me of paintings by Jacob Lawrence, who looked at everyday people. It's like artists are always having a conversation, inspiring each other across time. Each artwork embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.