Flares 1939

Editor: Here we have Louise Arnstein Freedman's etching, "Flares," created in 1939. It's a dynamic cityscape; the dramatic lines and contrasting light create a somewhat unsettling, industrial mood. What stands out to you most when you look at this work? Curator: I see a powerful statement about labor and urban development. Etching, as a medium, requires a direct engagement with materials – the plate, the acid, the press. In "Flares," consider the labor embedded in the very making of the print. What does the dense network of lines suggest about the intense physical effort involved in construction during this period? Editor: That’s a fascinating perspective. I was initially drawn to the aesthetic qualities, the strong contrast between light and dark, but the emphasis on labor hadn’t occurred to me. So you're focusing on the production of the image mirroring the labor in the image. Curator: Exactly. The materials of both the city, and the art – the steel and brick versus the etching plate and acid – represent industrialization, particularly through the lens of 1939, a time marked by both progress and anxiety as WWII approached. Consider the position of those two people and what could they be working on, maybe on the gas mains for the city. What does their vulnerability say about the role of labor in progress? Editor: Now that you point it out, it's clear the printmaking medium mirrors the strenuous physical labor depicted. It's also interesting to think of this as more than a history-painting; this rendering and material connects the artist and their practice to the common working individual, creating more accessible art. Curator: And hopefully encouraging its consumption! Freedman made choices in both the urban scene she pictured and in the material decisions. It’s a network of industry: construction, printing, distributing... And finally viewing. Editor: That’s definitely given me a richer understanding of this piece; seeing the material choices as deliberately connecting art-making and urban construction opens up entirely new layers of meaning. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!