Portret van Anne Zernike 1915 - 1968

This is Jan Mankes's woodcut portrait of Anne Zernike, made with simple tools, a block of wood, and ink. The contrast of black and white creates a bold statement, with each cut marking a deliberate choice in the process. Look at the way Mankes carves light into Zernike's face. The clean lines define her profile, and it is striking how the density of marks around her hair and shoulders makes her face glow. The texture is amazing here - you can feel the slight resistance of the wood, the way the grain influences the cut. I love the way the bottom half of the print dissolves into abstraction, giving us just enough information to create a coherent image. There is a similar approach to mark making in the work of Emil Nolde, another artist who embraced the raw energy of woodcuts. Like Nolde, Mankes allows the medium to guide the message. He shows how the simplest of means can convey the most profound of emotions.