The "L" 1929

Curator: We're looking at Gan Kolski’s "The ‘L’" from 1929. It’s a print rendering a cityscape dominated by an elevated train line. Editor: It’s overwhelmingly linear at first glance—almost aggressively so. All those rigid geometric shapes feel strangely dynamic because of the curve of the train tracks, making the overall composition vibrant. Curator: Indeed, that sense of vibrancy aligns well with the Art Deco aesthetic it embodies. Mass transit systems at this time served as significant urban equalizers, impacting both commerce and cultural identity. Kolski really captures that here. Editor: Absolutely, it’s not just functional; it's celebratory! And the trains themselves almost appear anthropomorphic. They bear these cheerful, simplified "faces." Is this a commentary or more an embracing of the possibilities that industrialized transportation allows? Curator: That’s an astute observation. These lines create a rhythm echoing the optimism during the roaring twenties. This was pre-Depression. I feel Kolski offers an enthusiastic, but ultimately idealized depiction of urban life during that period. Notice also that the street-level life contrasts with the comparative order of the train. Editor: Yes! I see the crowd churning around cars, contrasting against the comparative solitude in the cars passing above, divided and yet occupying the same time and place in the city. One wonders which mode holds greater meaning for the artist in his imagining. Curator: And it invites us to consider who exactly is granted the ability to traverse those elevated lines above? Access, as now, then was intimately tied up in socio-economic circumstances. Editor: Food for thought when seeing depictions of progress! The density of the composition keeps giving more, and although its tone is relatively unified, this in no way obscures its symbolic dimensions. It’s the detail which allows us to question even as we're compelled by it. Curator: I concur entirely. This piece presents an image of progress inseparable from the societal frameworks within which that progress played out. Editor: Definitely something to think about as we journey forward!