Hudson Bridge 1929

Louis Lozowick made this lithograph, Hudson Bridge, out of ink on paper. The process of lithography is all about pressure, and you can really feel that in this image – the deep blacks and crisp whites pushing against each other. Looking at the towers of the bridge, they're so solid, so architectural, rendered with an almost obsessive attention to line and detail. You can practically feel the cold steel against your fingertips. But then, look closer. See how the light softens around the edges, almost dissolving the structure into the sky? Lozowick’s playing with your perception. That dark patch, the little hill under the bridge, it’s grounded and heavy, but the two planes flying above are light and ephemeral, just floating on the surface. There's a tension, a visual dialogue between weight and lightness. It's reminiscent of the Precisionist painters like Charles Sheeler, who were similarly fascinated by the geometry of the industrial age. But Lozowick adds this almost dreamlike quality, blurring the line between reality and vision. It’s a bridge, yes, but also a kind of portal.