Untitled (Gas Station) 1949

Curator: This is Lynd Kendall Ward’s "Untitled (Gas Station)," a woodcut print from 1949. Ward was known for his wordless novels, telling stories through sequences of wood engravings. Editor: The rain hitting that slick black road makes my skin feel cold and wet, even through the screen! It has that graphic novel intensity that pulls you right in. All the shapes and heavy, inky darkness suggest a bad dream—is there a happy version of this scene? Curator: Considering the social and political mood following the Second World War, artists were grappling with anxieties about modernity, technology, and the changing landscape of America. The starkness here echoes a sense of uncertainty. Ward often addressed these societal tensions in his work. Editor: It’s definitely unsettling. The way the gas station glows, kind of beacon-like, almost feels sinister. You know, like, 'get gas, and then where? And why?' What sort of dystopian Americana is being channeled? Even the driver is hidden! Curator: That’s the power of Ward’s visual storytelling. There are definitely layers. The use of woodcut gives it that very stark, contrasting quality. Also, note the absence of people milling about. It focuses attention on the architectural elements of the gas station itself. Editor: The lines of rain are amazing – such incredible energy contained in these black vectors, it makes me wanna etch the whole world. What stories do those gas station dwellers have? Maybe they are hiding! It invites me to continue the plot with the questions I brought myself, somehow. Curator: It reminds us that even ordinary scenes like a gas station can hold reflections of a complex era. Lynd Kendall Ward gives the common roadside scene an imposing air, a testament to the woodcut tradition. Editor: Yes. Thanks for illuminating Ward's take! So many stories hidden inside this print. Gotta drive… or should I walk into the rainy unknown...