Untitled (Washing Clothes) 1933

Olin Dows made this monochromatic print, Washing Clothes, with a block printing technique. I can only imagine the labor involved to produce such a stark image of labor. The bold contrasts and angular figures remind me of early 20th-century social realism. But I can also see the artist being drawn to the graphic qualities of woodcut, a technique which lends itself to simplification and pattern. Look at the rows of repeated marks, the deep black ink, and the cut of the individual shapes, and how they all form a coherent, rhythmic whole. I wonder if Dows was thinking of similar prints by artists like Elizabeth Catlett, who used the medium to depict scenes of everyday life with dignity and respect? Ultimately, this is a powerful image of community. By depicting a common, shared activity, he invites us to reflect on the dignity and beauty of labor.