Travelers #12 1932

Curator: The overwhelming mood is somber, isn’t it? The grayscale tones immediately evoke a feeling of melancholy. Editor: Yes, it does, it feels like loneliness is in the room. What are we looking at exactly? Curator: This graphite drawing from 1932 is titled “Travelers #12”, and was created by Lucille Fink. She seems to depict a small carriage, filled with four solemn passengers. Editor: There's a tangible quality to the heavy lines. The artist seems to capture that cramped feeling on public transportation and how isolated we become as individuals in those spaces. Notice how the darkest marks surround the travelers looking out the window? The artist really wants to force that division. Curator: Indeed, the artist utilizes pencil to portray the confinement felt in traveling during the 1930s, particularly the socio-economic climate experienced in the depression era when access and space for transportation were often tightly restricted. And for certain groups more than others. I can see parallels between the shared but isolated nature of public transport now. The composition emphasizes the physical closeness of the figures while simultaneously underscoring their emotional distance. Editor: And the figures themselves--each is in their own little bubble. A man stares intensely, resting his elbow while seemingly caught in thought. To the side, the angle seems to portray another passenger avoiding attention, turned away from observation. The figures here feel compressed, even silenced, and there seems to be almost no breathing room between passengers. What about you? Curator: It's a haunting portrayal, this exploration of the transient experience of mobility; of shared, but fragmented community. It reminds me of being hyper-aware of personal space while traveling; this graphite artwork is more relevant than ever, with an expanded class-divided audience. Editor: Agreed. Fink really invites the viewer to reflect on the complex themes of isolation and shared experience—captured and expressed with the graphite itself. Curator: Yes, and the importance of situating her works within these larger political, socioeconomic conditions. Editor: The materiality and composition effectively converge, reinforcing these concepts, no doubt.