Carpenter 1956

John Ross made this linocut print called 'Carpenter', and it's a striking image. The whole scene is just black and white, giving it this bold graphic quality. You can almost feel the effort in the carpenter’s stance, the way he leans into the saw. I imagine John Ross, the artist, must have been thinking about labor, about the act of making something with your own hands. There's something really satisfying in that image of the hand gripping the saw, the sweat on his brow. The shapes are so simplified but powerful. Look at those strong lines that make up the carpenter's arm, or the geometric patterns in the background. It’s like he’s not just showing us a carpenter, but also the essence of building, of creating structure. The way John Ross reduces it to its bare essentials reminds me of some of the WPA artists from the 30s and 40s. It's like he’s part of this ongoing conversation about work, about the dignity of labor. Ross leaves a clear statement about what it means to make something real.