Song of Iron (Russian Subway)
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut
Dimensions
image: 355 x 280 mm sheet: 455 x 365 mm
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Accession Number
2008.115.596
Art Historical Context
**Song of Iron (Russian)**, a striking 1933 woodcut by Albert Abramovitz, captures the of Soviet industrialization through the lens of Moscow's emerging subway system. Measuring 355 x 280 mm on a 455 x 365 mm sheet, this print the National Gallery of Art Reba and Dave Williams evokes the era's fervor for progress, with its title poetically linking iron machinery to a rhythmic "song" of modernity. Woodcuts, like this one, are carved by hand into wooden blocks, allowing for bold, high-contrast lines and textures that convey power and movement—ideal for depicting the massive engineering feats of...