Welder c. 1930

Minna Citron’s ‘Welder’ from 1940, is a lithograph on paper, and it’s all about line, tone and texture – the way they build into a kind of sympathetic portrait. Look how the strokes of gray build up the figure of the welder, bent over their work. There's a real care in how she renders the sparks flying off the welding torch. It feels like Citron wants to show us the labour, the concentration, but also maybe something beautiful in this industrial scene. The welder's mask obscures their face, but the hands, roughened and focused, tell their own story. And all around, the textures of the factory setting – pipes, tools, metal – are built up with these lovely, almost loving, marks. I’m reminded of work by Elizabeth Olds, who was also making social realist prints at this time, particularly her willingness to engage with industry, not as something to be feared, but something that shapes all of our lives. Art is never made in a vacuum, right? It’s always part of a bigger conversation, and this print is no exception.