Street in Mexico 1932

Stefan Hirsch made this lithograph, Street in Mexico, in 1932, using only black ink to create a full spectrum of values through a delicate process of hatching and mark-making. The tonal variations created by the lithographic crayon on stone are so soft, almost like a pencil drawing. Look at the ground: it's made of tiny, dense marks, a kind of vibrating energy. In contrast, the figures are delineated with clear outlines, which gives them a solidity, but also an isolation from their environment. It’s as if the crowd is a cut-out, pasted on a textured ground. The details on the figures’ outfits gives them a visual richness, but the somber tonality subdues this, giving the overall image a feeling of melancholy. I think Hirsch was onto something, something about the way the world just is: a combination of surfaces, textures, objects, people, all bumping up against each other. Like the work of Charles Sheeler, Hirsch creates a feeling of disquiet by subtly disorienting his subjects. But in the end, like all successful art, Street in Mexico creates a space for us to wander, to make our own connections, and to find our own meanings.