Sweat of Blood 1943

This print, Sweat of Blood, made by Leopoldo Méndez, shows a nun in anguish. The starkness of the black lines against the paper creates a powerful, direct image. You can feel the artist's hand in each carve, each line a deliberate choice shaping the emotion and drama. I love how the deep blacks give the nun's garments a weighty, almost sculptural presence. The lines aren't just outlines; they build form, texture, and feeling. Look closely at the folds of her habit, how they seem to ripple and twist. It's like Méndez is using the woodcut to convey not just what she looks like, but how she feels, how heavy her burden is. And the skull there reminds us of our mortality, a constant companion in Méndez's work. Méndez shares a visual language with artists like Käthe Kollwitz, who also used printmaking to express deep human suffering and social commentary. It's a conversation across time, isn't it?