Daphnis en Chloë rennen op elkaar af 1937

Aristide Maillol made this woodcut print called Daphnis and Chloë sometime in the early 20th century, showing the figures embracing with real urgency. The way Maillol uses line in this piece is so direct and, dare I say it, sexy. Look at the area around the figures. The texture is rough, like he attacked the wood with his tools, right? The dark and light areas are graphic and alive, giving a sense of dynamic energy to the scene. I keep coming back to how the forms push against the edges of the black block. Maillol was known for his sculptures, and you can see how he’s thinking about form in this print too. It reminds me a little of Gauguin, who also made woodcuts with bold lines and simple shapes. Art's just a big conversation, isn't it? This piece celebrates the joy of art-making itself, that beautiful ambiguity where things aren't always clear.