Richest Country in the World 1953

Herbert Lawrence Block made this scathing cartoon using graphite, ink, and wash, probably in the middle of the 20th century. Look at the thick lines forming the buildings, bold and assertive like a city rising. I can imagine Block, leaning over his drawing board, feeling a real sense of urgency. What could he do to show how crazy things are, how wealth and poverty sit side by side, blind to one another? His marks are so decisive, especially when he’s drawing the cars lined up like metal sardines and, beyond, the tiny schoolhouse with too many kids crammed inside. It’s like he’s saying: Hey, look! Open your eyes! There’s a tension here between the clean lines of the city and the messy reality of inequality. Block’s work reminds me that artists are always responding to the world around them, trying to make sense of it, and hopefully, inspiring us to do the same. It's a conversation that continues today, a challenge to see clearly and act justly.