New Jersey Cyclops 1940

Editor: This etching, "New Jersey Cyclops," created by Vera Andrus in 1940, presents a rather imposing scene. I’m immediately struck by the geometric shapes that dominate the composition; they're so...monumental. Almost intimidating. What's your take on this particular landscape? Curator: Intimidating is a great word for it. To me, it whispers of the anxieties surrounding industrialization during that period, you know? The “cyclops” refers not just to the monstrous scale of these industrial forms but also to their singular purpose, maybe? The sharp lines and almost surreal rendering give it this very particular dystopian air. Look how the figures are dwarfed by the industrial structures; what do you suppose Andrus might be trying to tell us? Editor: Maybe that industrialization, though providing work, threatens the very humans it's supposed to serve? Those little figures huddling together seem so insignificant against those giants! Curator: Precisely! The composition directs our eye upwards, emphasizing that power, that almost overwhelming presence of industry. Notice how the light and shadow play across the surfaces; it's almost theatrical, heightening the drama. Almost a warning to future generations, maybe. And maybe, also a nod to the surrealists of the time. The industrial landscape takes on an almost nightmarish quality. What will our footprint be on this Earth, she might have been asking. Editor: It’s funny – initially I just saw geometric shapes, but hearing you talk about it, I definitely get a better sense of its message and artistic context. Thanks! Curator: And I loved thinking about its possible warning! Perhaps she knew what lay ahead more than even we could recognize at the time. Food for thought!