Immigration #2, Middle Passage 1935 - 1936

Bernarda Bryson created this lithograph, a monochromatic print, sometime in the 20th century, and just look at the concentration of faces! Imagine Bryson, her hand moving swiftly, creating so many marks to build up these tightly packed figures. It's a scene of immense human suffering, yet rendered with such delicate detail. You see each individual face, each carrying its own story. What do you think she was thinking as she drew? Maybe trying to bear witness, to not look away from a dark chapter of history? The composition is so dense, so claustrophobic, that you can almost feel the weight of humanity crammed into that ship. And look at the texture she achieves with just simple black lines. It makes you wonder about the power of art to confront uncomfortable truths, to make us feel things we might rather ignore. It’s a testament to Bryson’s ability to channel empathy into a tangible form.