Show Girls c. 1938

Francis Chapin made this lithograph called 'Show Girls,' and it's all about capturing a moment, a fleeting glimpse of performance. The smoky grays and blacks make you feel like you're in a dimly lit theater, right? I can almost smell the old velvet seats. Chapin really gets the energy of the stage with these quick, almost scribbled lines. You see how he uses light and shadow to make the figures pop, like they're caught in a spotlight? I imagine Chapin, charcoal in hand, quickly trying to capture this scene as the performers move, maybe sketching right there in the audience. You can feel that immediacy, that urgency in the marks, and that's what gives the piece its charm. It's like he's saying, "Look at this! Isn't it wild?" And yeah, it kind of is.