Intersection II 1955

Jacob Kainen made this striking woodcut print, Intersection II, in 1955. The stark contrast between black and white creates a powerful visual tension. It's all about the push and pull of shapes. The white areas, are actually what Kainen *didn't* carve away, they stand forward. You can almost feel the force of the blade, slicing through the wood. Look at the lower left corner, these are a mix of diagonal and horizontal marks that suggest a grid. The texture of the wood itself becomes part of the image, adding a layer of depth. You get a real sense of the artist's hand, making something tangible and immediate. In the push and pull of dark and light, Kainen is showing us the world in pieces. Much like Picasso, Kainen invites us to see the underlying structure of things. It's not just about what we see, but how we see.