Immigration #2, Middle Passage 1935 - 1936

Bernarda Bryson made this lithograph, Immigration #2, Middle Passage, in 1936. The mark making here is so considered, so precise, it reminds me of printmaking, maybe etching. Bryson's drawing is very careful and controlled, and creates a powerful image. Look at how she depicts the figures crammed into the ship, and how the subtle gradations of tone creates a powerful sense of depth and texture. You can feel the weight of history in the density of the marks, the sheer amount of labor. She uses only monochrome, but you can still feel the heat, and the horror of this terrible journey. I am put in mind of Kathe Kollwitz, who was also a printmaker and a draughtswoman, and who was concerned with similar themes of social justice. Art like this has no fixed meaning, and it remains open to new interpretations across time.