Maquette, page 8 1935 - 1944

This maquette by Nathan Lerner, made sometime in the mid-20th century, is like a study in contrasts. Two worlds collide here—or rather, are carefully placed in conversation. The image up top is of a Ferris wheel—a skeletal, geometric dance against the sky. Below, a crowd of people, partially obscured by railings. I imagine Lerner, like all of us artists, wrestling with how to make sense of the world, one image at a time. What was he thinking when he juxtaposed these two scenes? Maybe something about the collective experience versus the individual ride? Or maybe it's the tension between structure and chaos. This reminds me of the way painters build up layers, each mark responding to the last. Artists are always in dialogue, borrowing, riffing, and transforming ideas. Lerner's work encourages us to embrace uncertainty, to find poetry in the unexpected pairings.