Civilization, A.D. 1935 1935

Leo Meissner made this print called "Civilization, A.D. 1935," in—you guessed it—1935. It's a stark, black and white image, like a woodcut, with all these different scenes crammed together, like panels in a newspaper. It feels like Meissner’s trying to show us the contradictions of modern life. You've got gangsters and celebrities right next to images of lynching and breadlines. Then there’s "Nations Rearm," next to "Longevity"—as if science and progress are just fueling the next war. I imagine Meissner hunched over a table, cutting into wood, trying to make sense of it all. It's like he's saying, "Look at this mess we've made!" It reminds me a little of the German Expressionists. There's the same raw energy and sense of unease. You know, as artists, we’re always wrestling with the world around us. We see something, feel something, and then try to turn it into something else, something that might make other people feel something too.