Newspaper Carriers (Work Disgraces) 1921

Georg Scholz made this lithograph, Newspaper Carriers (Work Disgraces), using lithographic crayon and tusche in the early twentieth century. Scholz has built up these characters using tiny, precise marks. It's a slow and careful process that brings a real sense of weight to the scene. There's a density to the way he uses tone, especially in the foreground. The contrast between the darks of the figures and the flatness of the paper almost feels sculptural. Look at the way the smoke rises, a jagged interruption to an otherwise rigidly ordered surface. It reminds me of Grosz, who also used caricature to critique society, but Scholz has his own way of skewing reality just enough to make you uneasy. Ultimately Scholz's image feels like a warning.