Subway Terminal 1938

Hugh Mesibov made this print of a subway terminal, and what strikes me is the mark-making, how each line seems to build the scene, bit by bit. It's a real testament to the power of process. The physical presence of the ink on paper is key here. You can almost feel the grit of the city, the way the texture is built up through layers of hatching and cross-hatching. It's not about hiding the work, but about revealing it. Look at the way he renders the crowd, a sea of hats and faces. There's a rhythm to it, a kind of organized chaos. It reminds me of the Ashcan School, artists like John Sloan, who found beauty in the everyday hustle of city life. Art's like a conversation, a constant back-and-forth across time, and Mesibov's print is a great example of how artists build on each other's ideas, creating something new in the process.