Chance Meeting

Maker Martin Lewis (American, 1881 - 1962)

Collections

American Print Selections

ClassificationsPRINTS

Date1940-1941

Mediumdrypoint on paper

Dimensions10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (26.7 x 19.1 cm.) sheet (sheet): 15 1/2 x 10 11/16 in. (39.4 x 27.1 cm.)

Descriptionedition of 100; printed for the Society of American Etchers

SignedSigned in lower left of recto in plate: M L Signed in lower right of recto in graphite: Martin Lewis

InscribedSigned in lower left of recto in plate: M L Signed in lower right of recto in graphite: Martin Lewis Inscribed in lower right of recto by the artist (?): Chance Meeting v.168

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds from the Virginia Steele Scott Foundation

Status

Not on view

Label TextChance Meeting is one of Martin Lewis's most psychologically complex images, as Lewis placed the viewer in the center of a narrative fraught with unresolved desire. Both figures strike casual poses-the man thrusts his hands in his pockets while the woman leans on a newsstand. However, their intense gazes and the exaggerated arcs of their bodies suggest an ardent attraction. In the background, Lewis included a couple further along in their courtship, suggesting a possible outcome to the encounter. The harsh lighting, dramatic shadows, and incomplete story suggest the influence of film noir on Lewis's work.

Object number86.14