Tapping a Heat 1937

Editor: So, this is Jackson Lee Nesbitt's "Tapping a Heat" from 1937. It’s an etching and engraving on metal, and the overall feeling I get is one of intense industry. The lines and composition create such a dynamic sense of labor. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the way Nesbitt depicts the labor involved. Consider the physicality implied in "tapping" the heat – it’s not just an abstract process but a material one. Notice the tools: the large hooks, the crucibles... they're rendered with such detail, hinting at the intense human effort required to shape metal. Editor: That's a great point. I didn't consider the 'how' as much as the 'what'. The use of metal itself – both in subject and medium – seems pretty significant, doesn't it? The harsh lines of the etching capturing the intense conditions. Curator: Exactly. The very act of creating the image mimics the industrial process it depicts. The printmaking technique allows for reproducibility, further embedding the image in the sphere of mass production and consumption. What do you make of that array of receptacles waiting at the bottom of the composition? Editor: To me, they emphasize the relentless cycle of production, an almost unending repetition of labor and consumption, but maybe it's too bleak? Curator: Bleak or realistic? We need to remember the social context. The 1930s were a time of great economic hardship, yet also of industrial expansion. Do you think this work critiques or celebrates the industrial landscape? Or maybe something in between? Editor: Maybe it presents the scene without judgement. More like a record of the times...a purely material thing presented materially! This gives me so much to think about. Thank you! Curator: Indeed! Looking at art through the lens of materials and process provides a very different, and often grounding, experience. I’ve definitely gained a fresh perspective from this discussion as well.