On the Quai (Auf der Quaimauer) 1921

Lyonel Feininger made this print, On the Quai, with black ink on paper. Can you imagine the artist carefully carving away at the block? What was left would become the image. Feininger was part of the Bauhaus movement, and you can see that interest in geometry here. It's like he’s abstracted the world down to its most essential shapes. But it's not cold or clinical; there's a real energy to the lines, they almost vibrate on the page. Look how the shapes lock together to create a sense of depth and space. The black ink creates strong contrast, but the shapes are layered and transparent. I keep thinking about the process, the act of reduction. What do you leave in? What do you take away? That’s what painters are always asking themselves. And the conversation continues through time. I see Feininger here, and I also think of contemporary artists making prints today.