Subway Crush 1940

Bernard Brussel-Smith’s “Subway Crush” is a lithograph print, likely made with a polished stone that the artist drew on with a greasy crayon. This detailed image of commuters forcefully boarding a subway car reveals a great deal about the artist’s social commentary on the working classes. The grainy texture comes from the lithographic process itself, and is critical to the overall effect. The way the artist has rendered the subjects, along with the black and white aesthetic, makes this artwork look like an illustration from a newspaper. It echoes the documentary style favored during the Depression-era, which aimed to capture realistic depictions of American life. You can see a discarded newspaper on the bottom left corner of the image dated 1940. Brussel-Smith calls our attention to the labor involved in the lithographic process itself, connecting it with the labor of those depicted. This piece blurs the boundaries between fine art and the everyday experience of the working class.