Ferry Over Hudson 1937

Hyman William Katz made this print, Ferry Over Hudson, in 1937. He’s used hatching and cross-hatching to build up the image. It's like he's feeling his way through the scene, line by line. Look at how the lines create different textures and depths; see the solidity of the buildings versus the smokey haze coming out of the boats. It’s all line work, but each area has its own feeling. The whole piece is built up from these tiny marks, and together they create a whole world. The elevated train tracks in the foreground pull us into the picture, and the boats on the Hudson River create a sense of movement and activity beyond the buildings. The scene feels both real and like a dream. It’s got a bit of that Ashcan School vibe, but with Katz’s personal spin. Like Hopper, maybe, with a dash of Joseph Stella thrown in. It reminds us that art is just people having a conversation and keeping the ideas moving.