As in many of Segal's works, the figures are positioned in relation to an environment, in this case a transporation terminal of some sort. A sense of melancholy pervades the scene which the harsh red glare of the lights cannot subdue. The somber mood is sustained by a number of factors: the severe geometry of the sparse architectural elements of the setting; the worn black wall which reflects blurred images; and, most of all, the figures themselves. Although Segal employs actual figures in making his sculptures--his wife and a young neighbor in this work-- the overall whiteness of the figures (no color differentiation is made between clothing and skin) and the lack of specificity in defining features results in a generalization of forms. In other words, the artist has created types, rather than portraits.

The viewer himself becomes a part of the work as he enters the space of the environment, and as his reflection is captured for a moment in the wall of the terminal. The two figures seem lost in their own thoughts, and there is no real communication in this place which has brought them together for the purpose of having them depart from it. A passive and resigned acceptance of whatever will be--that seems to be the mood which prevails.

Segal was born in 1924 in New York where he received most of his formal art training. He turned his efforts exclusively to sculpture in 1960-1961. In 1970 he was awarded an honorary doctor's degree by Rutgers University.

Source: Bulletin, March-April 1973.