Areeba Anjum

241558689
An analysis on The Subway by George Tooker
 Tooker's painting of a subway is one of his most well-known works. The painting depicts
a woman looking restlessly to the side, gripping her abdomen encompassed by a series of
mysterious, somewhat sinister-looking figures. While the focal figure of the painting, the
woman, wears a red dress the surrounding figures are displayed in fluctuating shades of brown,
blue, and beige. Almost everyone in the scene is a man. The painting's perspective shows the
subway as a labyrinth of seemingly infinite passageways. Neutral tones and strong, defined
edges dominate the scene itself.
The Subway illustrates the uneasiness and alienation that come with modern metropolitan
life's stresses. The claustrophobia of the city's maze-like structure is evoked by the low ceilings
and unnerving triple perspective of the subway. Tooker's veiled relationship with Surrealism is
demonstrated in this psychological portrayal of public life. The subway is depicted in such a way
that it feels both familiar and unsettling. The lack of any windows or noticeable exits creates a
sense of being confined.
Despite being physically close to others in the station, each, anxiety-ridden figure appears
psychologically alienated, whether caged up in tiled niches or wandering down the long
passageway. The core group of figures are seemingly trapped in a grid of cast shadows from the
metal grating, while the corridors appear to lead nowhere, trapping the city's residents. Thus, the
subway becomes a metaphor for society's enslavement, to which we are all subject.
Just like the situating, color, and facial expressions of the characters in the painting
suggests a gloomy aspect to modern life so does his choice of subject: a subway station.