Worker with Drill, Moscow

Albert Abramovitz

Latvian born American printmaker Albert Abramovitz's subject is a laborer who was part of the work crew that helped dig the Moscow Metro between 1933 and 1935. Dressed in a slicker and rain hat, the worker holds a drill, surrounded by a complex structure of beams and pipes.

The composition is brought forth by the light created by the white lines that were carved from the surface of the block. The varying directions of the lines create the separation and dynamic of the composition. The image is not included in the GSA raisonné of his WPA images but it was done at the same time.

The Moscow Metro, one of the deepest subways in the world, took two years to open the first of at least 5 stages that extended into the 1950s. The first stage was done with the participation of the London Underground specialists.

Albert Abramovitz was born in Russia in 1879 and came to America in 1916. He worked in the WPA and was a strident anti-fascist and much of his work had a political message. This impression is from the collection of artist Seymour Kaplan who worked with the Taller de Grafica Popular in Mexico.