Blast Furnace - Brooklyn 

Donato Rico created this wood engraving titled "Blast Furnace - Brooklyn." Here, we witness the raw power of industry. Molten material, poured forth under the watchful eyes of workers, evokes ancient myths of creation and transformation. This act of pouring might remind us of the alchemical process, where base metals are transformed into gold, or perhaps the forging of weapons by the Cyclopes in the fiery depths of Mount Etna. Consider the emotional weight of fire: a symbol of both destruction and creation. Fire purifies, destroys, and paves the way for new beginnings. Like the Phoenix rising from ashes, the materials processed here undergo a radical transformation, imbued with new purpose. This potent imagery taps into our collective memory, resonating with subconscious associations of heat, light, and the elemental forces that shape our world. The psychological effect is profound, drawing us into a world of intense heat, the potential for danger, and transformative rebirth. The motif cycles back through history, reinvented, each time, mirroring the eternal dance of destruction and regeneration.