Sit-Down Strike c. 1938

Samuel A. Schneider made this print, "Sit-Down Strike," sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. It's an image built up through a network of dense hatching, like a drawing made of tiny dashes. What strikes me is the way the space feels so compressed. The figures are slumped and pressed together, almost pinned in place by the weight of the machinery looming behind them. Look at the figure lying down in the foreground. The hatching around his arm becomes like a net, trapping him. The sharp, dark lines create a sense of tension and confinement. It’s like the space is actively pushing back against them, a kind of visual resistance. This reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz. Both artists use a graphic approach to convey powerful social messages. Yet, like much art, the meaning of "Sit-Down Strike" isn’t fixed. Is Schneider celebrating their solidarity, or highlighting their vulnerability? Maybe it’s both.