Unloading Fish, 4 a.m. 1939

Anthony Velonis made "Unloading Fish, 4 a.m." using screenprint. Look closely at the textures. There’s a real push and pull between flatness and depth. The palette is so muted, almost like looking at a foggy memory. It's like Velonis wasn't just depicting a scene, but the feeling of the scene. The way Velonis handles the surface is interesting. See the overlapping of colors? The industrial shapes of the cranes, chimney stacks and buildings feel immediate, but there is also a considered application of color, a lot of layering. I love the way he simplifies the human form; the men unloading the fish become part of the machinery of the port. It makes you think about labor, production, and the quiet hours before the city wakes up. It feels to me that the prints of someone like Jacob Lawrence may be a reference point. Both artists have this ability to capture the everyday lives of working people. "Unloading Fish" feels like a frozen moment in time, a reminder of the stories embedded in the urban landscape.