Untitled (Mending Wall) c. 1937

This print, "Untitled (Mending Wall)," was made by Henry Clarence Pitz, though we don’t know exactly when. Pitz likely used either a lithographic stone or a metal plate, working it to create contrasting black marks and open white space. Note the bodies of the figures laboring here. Their postures are bent, strained, and deeply rooted in the physicality of working with stone. There is a powerful dignity in this depiction of hard labor. The act of mending a wall, something that is necessary for pastoral life, is a timeless ritual, part of the endless cycle of repair that defines rural life. Pitz shows us not just an image, but a process – the way we transform the land through toil. By depicting the labor and physicality of working with the earth, Pitz elevates a mundane task to the realm of art. He invites us to consider the social and cultural significance embedded in these actions, blurring the lines between craft and fine art.