Factory Landscape 1948

Here's Sidney Chafetz's "Factory Landscape," made with conté crayon on paper. I’m feeling the black and white, the way it's not just contrast, but a mood, a weight. I can imagine Chafetz, leaning in close, really feeling that crayon grind against the paper. There's a deep empathy in his marks, like he's wrestling with what it means to make something, to build, to produce. The landscape churns with smokestacks and swirling skies, and even the tree looks like it's caught in the factory’s undertow. It reminds me of Guston's later stuff, where everything feels heavy with the weight of the world, but also full of life. Chafetz captures the uncertainty that all artists feel: a dance between intention and accident, each mark guiding the next. Ultimately, it's about feeling our way through the dark, trusting the process, and seeing what emerges.