Republic Steel on the Cuyahoga River 1932

August F. Biehle Jr.'s 'Republic Steel on the Cuyahoga River' is made with pencil and crayon, and the subject is approached in a way that is both immediate and intimate. There’s something about the directness of the marks here that I find really appealing. You can see the process so clearly, the way the artist built up the image layer by layer. The gray of the river and sky, and the odd dashes of red are laid down in such a way that you can feel Biehle Jr.'s hand moving across the paper, and get a real sense of how he may have wanted to explore the gritty reality of industrial life. Look at how the reflections in the water are rendered – just a few scribbled lines, but they capture the essence of the scene perfectly. Biehle Jr.'s work reminds me a little bit of Lyonel Feininger, especially in the way he uses line to create a sense of depth and space. But there’s also something uniquely personal about his vision, a kind of quiet appreciation for the everyday beauty of the industrial landscape.