Sit-Down Strike c. 1938

This lithograph titled ‘Sit-Down Strike’ was made by Samuel A. Schneider, most likely in the 1930s. The image is rendered with dark, expressive marks, and you can almost feel the weight of the workers' stillness. Schneider’s scene buzzes with the weight of what’s not happening. I can only imagine Schneider at work, charcoal or litho crayon in hand, trying to capture the mood, the frustration and the solidarity. The stark contrasts create a space that feels both tense and intimate. The artist has scratched and smudged into the surface to convey the physical reality of the factory. The strokes of the litho crayon must have been quite expressive, almost like drawing with feeling. Like other artists of his time, Schneider was part of a creative conversation, responding to the social climate and using art as a means of expression. This piece embraces ambiguity and uncertainty. And it leaves room for us to bring our own feelings to it.