Bitter Creek 1938

Editor: This is "Bitter Creek," a 1938 pencil drawing and print by Lew E. Davis. It reminds me a bit of stacked boxes, with all these houses leaning in different directions. It’s such a somber piece. What feelings or stories do you get from it? Curator: It’s intriguing, isn’t it? Visually, the tilted angles and compressed space give me a feeling of precariousness, a community perhaps struggling or maybe just intensely close. Those looming houses…they almost seem to be whispering secrets. Makes you wonder what those folks in the windows are thinking, doesn’t it? Editor: Definitely. It also looks kind of claustrophobic. Were communities often built like this back then? Curator: Possibly. Davis was working during the Depression, so the imagery evokes hardship. But it also celebrates community, doesn't it? There's something profoundly human in those windows. The image almost feels alive to me. What do you make of the naked child in the lower right of the drawing? Editor: Hmm… the girl almost seems to come out of nowhere in the perspective. Maybe she signifies vulnerability or perhaps the continuity of life even amidst difficulty. Curator: That’s a great point! You know, I initially saw a stark urban scene. But thinking about her, it transforms it to one with glimmers of hope in tough circumstances. What a striking reminder not to lock oneself into first impressions. Editor: Absolutely! Looking closer has revealed a whole new layer to the work. Thanks!