City View with Houses and Trees 1965

Editor: Here we have Stuart Egnal's 1965 engraving, "City View with Houses and Trees." There's an incredible density to it, almost claustrophobic, despite depicting an exterior scene. What sort of story do you see in all this deliberate crosshatching? Curator: The overwhelming detail certainly speaks volumes. To me, the crosshatching suggests a web, an inescapable net. Think of the city itself, how it’s become a recurring motif in art—often representing progress, innovation, but equally often, alienation and anonymity. This piece leans heavily into the latter. Do you feel a sense of detachment viewing it? Editor: I do, especially because you can't really distinguish any specific features. Everything is just…texture. Is that on purpose, maybe to erase individuality? Curator: Precisely. Consider how easily urban dwellers can become numbers, cogs in a machine. The trees, obscured by the same technique as the buildings, lose their natural essence and become just another element in this constructed reality. They’re visually saying there’s no escaping the reach of the city, even nature is consumed by it. What lasting images or collective memories does this piece bring to your mind? Editor: I can’t help but think of post-war anxiety and suburban sprawl—this feeling of being both connected and completely lost within a larger structure. It's potent stuff! Curator: Indeed. Art often serves as a mirror reflecting back the cultural anxieties and collective experiences of its time. This engraving invites us to contemplate the intricate, sometimes suffocating, relationship between individuals and the ever-expanding urban landscape and to think about how cities affect the collective psyche.