Two Mechanics 1912

Wyndham Lewis made this drawing, *Two Mechanics*, with pencil and wash. It's all about how lines can build a world. See how the figures are constructed from sharp, angular lines, almost like machines themselves? The way Lewis uses the wash to create shadows and depth is super interesting, it adds this sense of volume without softening the hard edges. Check out the surface, you can see the grain of the paper, and the way the wash settles into the texture. Those dark brown lines around their feet, they kind of vibrate against the lighter tones of the figures, pushing them forward, making them stand out. It's all about the push and pull of line and tone. Lewis’s work is often compared to the Futurists, who were obsessed with speed and machinery, but I always find his take a little more… human. I guess. Like, he’s using the visual language of the machine age to talk about something deeper. It’s cool how art can do that, right?