Untitled (worker with hook) 1921

Lili Rethi made this untitled drawing of a worker with a hook at an unknown date, using what looks like charcoal or graphite. The mark-making is fascinating – short, hatched lines build up the forms and create a sense of depth. It reminds me that art-making is a process of layering, of building something from nothing. The drawing has a gritty, industrial feel. The texture is rough, almost palpable. Look at the way Rethi renders the chain, those dark, looping forms feel heavy, solid. Then there’s the worker, caught in this web of labor, his figure built up from these tiny, energetic marks. Notice how the light catches the edge of his shoulder, a small detail that brings the whole scene to life. The linear marks, though, also suggest the worker is trapped in this environment. Rethi’s work is similar to that of Käthe Kollwitz, who was also interested in depicting the lives of working-class people. Art is a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time, and this drawing is a powerful statement about labor, industry, and the human condition.