Untitled (Detroit Scene) 1932

Lucienne Bloch made this pencil drawing of a Detroit scene sometime in the mid-20th century. I imagine her working outdoors, squinting in the bright sun, rendering all those cars and factories with such care. The air seems thick with smog, but there’s also a sense of bustling activity, of workers heading into the factory, of a city in motion. Bloch captures this in her drawing; look at the repetition of forms, the cars lined up like dominoes, the rows of windows on the factory wall. It reminds me of the work of the German New Objectivity painters, like Otto Dix or George Grosz, who were also interested in depicting the harsh realities of modern life. But there's also a tenderness in Bloch's touch, a sense of empathy for the people and places she depicts. It's as if she’s saying, "This is what it’s like to live here, to work here, to be a part of this city." And in doing so, she invites us to see Detroit, not just as a place of industry, but as a place of human experience.