Locomotive 1937

Salvatore Pinto created this print, entitled "Locomotive", using wood engraving, a process that sits right at the intersection of craft and industrialization. Consider the material: wood, precisely incised to yield this high-contrast image. The labor involved is intense, demanding both physical strength and delicate control. Wood engraving is unlike traditional drawing or painting; it's a process of strategic removal, of revealing the image by what is not there. This subtractive approach resonates with the subject matter. The locomotive and factory are symbols of extraction and production, of transforming raw materials into commodities. The sharp, graphic quality of the print also speaks to the social context of its creation. The clean lines and stark contrasts reflect the machine age, an era when mass production and industry transformed the landscape. The image is a testament to the power and scale of industrialization, but also suggests its dehumanizing effects. By understanding the labor that went into its making, we appreciate "Locomotive" not just as a picture, but as a cultural artifact embedded in the history of work.