Dimensions: plate: 30.2 × 40 cm (11 7/8 × 15 3/4 in.) sheet: 32.4 × 42 cm (12 3/4 × 16 9/16 in.)
Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0
Harry Sternberg made this print called "Excavation" using etching techniques. The frantic lines, all scratched into the plate, totally get across the physical exertion of all that digging and lifting. Looking close, you can really see the physicality of the medium. It's all about texture and surface; the way the light catches on those tiny grooves must have been so satisfying! See how some areas have denser clusters of marks? That makes the darks darker, really adding drama. What I love is that each mark feels like a decision, a gesture frozen in time. The worker in the foreground swinging his hammer is really dynamic, and the composition directs you into the center of the hubbub. It reminds me a little of some of the WPA artists, but Sternberg’s got his own thing going on. Art's like an ongoing conversation, isn’t it? No fixed meanings, just different ways of seeing.
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