Cincinnati Terminal c. 1930

Louis Conrad Rosenberg created this print, "Cincinnati Terminal," using etching. The composition invites us to observe a landscape dominated by a massive, terraced earthwork. Rendered in delicate lines, the structure looms over the horizon, dwarfing the cityscape in the distance and the small group of figures in the foreground. Rosenberg masterfully uses line to define form and texture. The dense cross-hatching creates a sense of depth and volume in the earthwork while also highlighting the contrast between the organic and the industrial. This evokes the sublime, a concept where awe and terror coexist. The ordered lines of the terminal juxtapose with the natural forms of the surrounding landscape. This contrast challenges any simple reading of progress and suggests a more complex negotiation between nature and human intervention. Is it a monument to progress or a scar on the landscape? Such questions invite us to think critically about our relationship with the built environment. The beauty of the etching resides in its capacity to pose such open-ended questions.