Steam Roller

An urban worker stands at the center of an image of urban construction and heavy industry. While the large scale of the machines dominate the canvas, the central placement of the man suggests that he is the focus of the image. Louis Lozowick explored the role of machines in modern American culture and the relationship between machines and humanity. He believed in a "machine aesthetic,” which dictates that art of an industrial society should employ the visual language of industry. The meticulous line in Steam Roller is characteristic of Precisionism, a style of painting that gives works a sharply defined and almost machine-made appearance.