Holland Tunnel c. 1930

This is Anne Steele Marsh's "Holland Tunnel", a black ink print, with a gray ground, that shows several cars inside the tunnel. I imagine the artist, trying to figure out how to make something solid and heavy become light as air. Those parallel lines that fade into the background—the way they make the tunnel look simultaneously sturdy and ethereal. It’s really interesting! How has she made this happen? I can see Marsh making marks, scraping away at the surface of the printing plate, a whole bunch of trial and error. I can imagine the artist thinking about all the vehicles that pass through this tunnel, the journeys, the daily routines, even the long road trips. I think this piece is about the journey, not the destination. Marsh isn't just showing us what the tunnel looks like, she's inviting us to experience the tunnel itself.