Composition with six human figures 1906 - 1945

Reijer Stolk created this monochromatic woodcut, Composition with six human figures. Can you imagine Stolk, knife in hand, wrestling the image out of the wood? I find myself wondering about the process—what did he want to retain from the original block, and what did he carve away? What did he want to emphasize, and what did he want to obscure? Look at how he’s used white to emphasize the light falling across the figures, animating their forms. The bodies almost seem to float against the dark background. I also find myself wondering what these figures are doing. Are they dancing? Are they dreaming? I am reminded of Gauguin and other Post-Impressionist artists of the late 19th and early 20th century. I imagine Stolk was in conversation with them and their interest in the human form, both celebrating and subverting classical traditions.