W.P.A. Workers c. 1935 - 1943

Abraham Jacobs made this print, W.P.A. Workers, with what looks like a woodcutting technique. The hatching is a little bit frantic, but it gives the whole scene this real sense of movement, like these guys are just trying to get the job done. The thing that strikes me is the texture; you can practically feel the grit under their feet. It's not just about depicting laborers, it’s about the labor of depicting laborers! Look at how he layers the marks to create depth, making the figures stand out from the background. The guy with the wheelbarrow, in particular, his coat has so much texture. The shadows feel heavy, like the weight of the work they’re doing. It kind of reminds me of some of Kathe Kollwitz's prints, in the way that it tries to capture the weight and struggle of working people. Ultimately it's about embracing the mess, the ambiguity, and all those marks.