Untitled (Cityscape) c. 1936 - 1939

Lillian Adelman created this untitled lithograph on stone in the mid-20th century, a work dominated by geometric forms and stark contrasts. The composition features a series of interconnected architectural shapes, rendered in shades of grey, creating a dense urban landscape. The texture is achieved through the lithographic process, giving a gritty feel to the surfaces. Adelman plays with perspective, distorting traditional spatial relationships to suggest a city in flux. The high contrast accentuates the underlying structural elements, destabilizing any fixed interpretation and challenging our perception of urban space. This recalls the fragmentation of Cubism, where objects are broken down and reassembled to reveal their underlying structure. Notice how the artist invites us to consider the city not just as a physical space but as a construction of abstract forms, reflecting a modernist concern with the essence of structure. The lack of color and the emphasis on line and shape underscore the formal qualities, making the artwork an exploration of the architectural and the abstract.