Vertigo - New York 1943

Curator: Oh, wow, this feels like stepping into someone's slightly anxious, yet utterly fascinating, dreamscape. Editor: We’re looking at Lawrence Kupferman's "Vertigo - New York," created in 1943. It’s an etching, part of his exploration of urban life. The artist’s skillful handling of the etching process is quite visible with such great linear variation and textures, isn't it? Curator: Definitely, it's this chaotic jumble that initially grabbed me! There's something very 'stream of consciousness' about how everything collides—skyscrapers wrestling with carousel horses and… is that supposed to be a political figure lurking there? It makes me think of the unsettling energy of urban life. The almost neurotic quality really vibrates off the paper, doesn’t it? Editor: Kupferman's work reflects the cultural context of his time. The limited edition print, made by hand, shows his personal connection to his art. There's labor in every mark, a resistance to the mass production beginning to consume everyday life. Note the density of the line work around areas he felt necessary for the viewers eye. Curator: True. It's funny how even a cityscape etching like this can reveal a certain emotional truth. It feels almost… pre-war anxiety. Maybe all that careful craft is precisely the antidote, or response to, the alienation of modern life, where labor feels increasingly meaningless. A quiet revolution in ink? Editor: I think you might be right. Considering the materiality, the directness of the engraving—it certainly adds a depth, even urgency, that’s hard to miss. You know that a print is something shared to larger communities, not just one person experiencing a singular painting. Curator: In any case, it’s impossible not to have some kind of visceral response. Looking at it more closely now, it almost makes me feel that kind of melancholic excitement only big cities can invoke—like when you are in the crowd, but simultaneously so incredibly alone. Editor: A fitting paradox reflected beautifully, and skillfully, through ink, paper and plate. A powerful visual document!