Fourth of July 1958

This is Jeannette Maxfield Lewis's Fourth of July, made with etching on paper. I imagine her bent over the plate, head in her hand, deeply thinking about the linear energy required to communicate the sound and rhythm of the parade. Look at how she uses hatching and cross-hatching to build tone. See how each figure, each object, is built up from a series of short, sharp lines, which, taken together, create a sense of dynamism and movement. The flag, the instruments, the feet - everything pulsates with the rhythm of the march. I can almost hear the blare of the trumpets and the steady beat of the drum! It’s interesting to see how she has used the visual language of cubism to express something so joyful and communal. I suppose it gives the scene a kind of fractured energy. The way that the image is constructed recalls Futurism’s preoccupation with speed, technology, and urban life. But at the same time, Lewis’s image remains deeply personal, rooted in her own experience of American life. I see the way artists are constantly riffing off one another’s work, finding new ways to express universal themes. Ultimately, this print reminds us that art is not just about technical skill. It’s about feeling, intention, and the desire to connect with others through the shared experience of culture and life.