Dead End 1936

Joseph Vogel created this lithograph, Dead End, using a stone matrix and greasy crayons or pencils. These are fairly traditional materials, but Vogel's image is anything but. The dense composition shows downtrodden workers amidst a jumble of mechanical debris, all rendered in angular, almost Cubist forms. Look closely, and you can see the way the lithographic crayon has been applied in hatching to build tone and shadow. This is a laborious process, demanding a lot of the artist. The title and the image strongly suggest that the men are victims of industrialization, rather than beneficiaries of it. Vogel is reminding us of the human cost of production and consumption, inviting us to recognize the skill and labor involved in both making the image, and in the lives of his subjects. The work asks us to consider the social implications inherent in even the most unassuming materials and processes.