Construction 1950

Editor: Here we have Morris Atkinson Blackburn's "Construction," an etching from 1950. It’s quite striking - the harsh lines and muted colors give it a feeling of… decay, almost. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a potent commentary on labor and the landscape of post-war America. Blackburn, working in 1950, presents us with what appears to be a fragment – a construction site, perhaps abandoned or unfinished. We have to ask ourselves, what were the social implications of rapid industrialization? What communities were impacted and what narratives went untold? Editor: That’s interesting. I was focused on the… stillness of it all. Curator: But that stillness is deceptive, isn't it? The visible construction materials point to processes of change, creation and possibly displacement. We should think about whose labor built these 'constructions' and who benefited from them? The fragmented composition suggests a society grappling with progress. Editor: So, it’s not just a picture of some wood; it's a symbol of larger forces at play? Curator: Precisely! And how does Blackburn use the artistic process – printmaking - as an echo of the mechanized labor of industrialization? Is there commentary here about artistic labour? We have to dig deeper, past our initial assumptions. Editor: I never thought about it that way, I’m starting to see how much I missed! Curator: Art often holds a mirror to society; our role is to decode its reflections, to engage in a critical dialogue with both the artwork and the world it represents. Editor: Thank you. That opened my eyes.