Steeltown Twilight 1937

Carl Hoeckner made this print, Steeltown Twilight, sometime in the mid-twentieth century using lithography. The print is almost monochromatic, save for the bright burst of light that seems to emanate from the Cathedral at the center of the composition. The surface has a gritty, almost sooty texture – achieved through the lithographic process, no doubt. The marks are very close together creating a feeling of density and weight. Even though it's a print, it feels like it was built up slowly. It reminds me of Piranesi’s etchings, particularly the Carceri series, which use a similar approach to mark-making to depict imaginary architectural spaces. The cross on the front of the cathedral practically glows. It’s like a beacon in the dark, beckoning you, promising safety, and guiding you through an otherwise overwhelming industrial landscape. The longer I look at it the more the Steeltown begins to appear almost dreamlike, as if I am seeing a vision of a memory, or perhaps a premonition of things to come.