Woodblock for Fishing Boats (Fischerboote) 1918

Lyonel Feininger made this woodblock, "Fishing Boats," and what grabs me is the way he's wrestling with the material. It's not about hiding the process, but really letting the wood speak. Check out the lower part of the piece where the figures stand, those hats, like minimalist tombstones! You can almost feel the gouge of the tool that carved them, the texture so raw, so immediate. He's not trying to trick you into thinking it's anything other than what it is: wood, ink, a sharp blade, and a vision. It's so stark, black against wood, no frills. It reminds me a little of German Expressionist woodcuts. It’s like a conversation happening across time, artists picking up where others left off, riffing on ideas. The beauty here is in the imperfection, the roughness, that gives it such a unique and honest voice.