Shoeshining 1936

Hyman William Katz made this etching of shoeshiners at work sometime in the 1930’s. You can see how Katz uses the etching process to create a real sense of depth, from the figures in the foreground to the buildings in the distance. I love the way he’s captured the texture of everyday life here. Look at the way he renders the shoeshiners’ faces. Each one has a unique expression, like the guy on the left. It looks like he’s waiting for a customer with a kind of melancholy in his eyes. Katz uses these small lines to really bring this scene to life. There’s a great, almost Hopper-esque vibe in this work. Both artists share an interest in capturing a moment of everyday urban life, but they each do it in such a different way. Katz’s etching reminds us that art is all about capturing the world around us.