Broadway #1 1929

Harry Sternberg made this print, Broadway #1, with etching on paper. It's a flurry of dark marks, capturing the energy of a crowd on Broadway. I can imagine Sternberg hunched over the plate, carefully drawing lines, building up this bustling scene. He probably chose etching to get that gritty, almost anxious feel. It reminds me of Kollwitz. It’s like you can hear the city's roar in those dense lines, the same kind of nervous buzz I feel when I'm trying to find my way in a crowd. I’m curious about his choice to focus on the ordinary people in the city, the everyday characters that are part of the landscape. What did he make of them? Each artist responds to the world around them, and it's through their touch, their particular kind of mark-making, that we get a glimpse into their world.