Platen Press 1928

Curator: What a compelling piece! This is "Platen Press," a woodcut created by Wanda Gág in 1928. You can see it at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: The textures are what immediately grab me. The way she’s carved the wood to create these dense, almost velvety blacks contrasting with the crisp white of the paper...it’s tactile, isn't it? I feel like I can almost feel the grit of the ink. Curator: Absolutely! Gág had such a deep appreciation for the inherent qualities of her materials. I always imagine her studio filled with wood shavings and the earthy smell of ink. She seemed to truly relish the physicality of creating art. Editor: And what is she depicting here? Curator: Well, that's the heart of it, isn't it? The very machine that enables mass reproduction, the Platen Press, becomes her intimate subject. Editor: So interesting… I’m intrigued by the artist representing labor through the instrument of artistic labor itself, which is really kind of clever, isn't it? But what about Gág's motivation? Curator: For Gág, it may have been a testament to her artistic freedom at the time when the American economy favored commercialism and mass production of materials. The window looking onto an unseen horizon seems symbolic of the hope of free thinkers and artistic laborers alike! Editor: It almost elevates the act of printing to something...noble. It's not just about churning out copies. The angle of the composition almost lends it this upward, forward-looking hope for the future. Curator: Beautifully said. The ordinary, almost mundane object that we typically see becomes transcendent with the interplay of light and shadow, all of these angles creating a powerful emotional space that transcends her materials. It also gives a fascinating peek into the daily life of this independent artist! Editor: This has really given me something to consider: an individual artist's fight against and within modern material society. Curator: Me too! And every viewing lends insight into the life of labor during economic booms.