Spain 1937

Seymour Fogel made this piece, Spain, with graphite on paper. The controlled strokes, the way the forms emerge from the shadows – it’s all about seeing the world, and then figuring out how to make marks that echo that vision. It's like a dance between looking and doing. You can almost feel the texture of the paper under the graphite, can’t you? It’s not just about what’s depicted, but how the medium itself speaks. Look at the bricks, how they break apart, how the pressure on the graphite creates the tonality. There’s a tension there, a physicality that really grabs you. I am especially drawn to the wheel in the background – a broken symbol of labour, of progress – looming like a dark omen, contrasting with the tenderness of the maternal figure. It reminds me a little bit of Kathe Kollwitz, in that it offers a poignant reflection on loss and resilience amid the chaos of human conflict. Art isn't just about pretty pictures; it’s about feeling, questioning, and connecting.