Figure Composition 1919 - 1920

Max Weber created this woodcut, "Figure Composition," during an era of profound cultural transformation, a time when artists grappled with the rapidly changing modern world. Weber, an Eastern European Jewish immigrant, channels his complex identity into this piece. The blocky, abstracted figures hint at the influence of Cubism and Primitivism, artistic movements that disrupted traditional representation. Yet, there's also a sense of the spiritual, perhaps reflecting Weber's own search for meaning in a new land, as he said: “In art, I like to see, besides the representation of facts, also the representation of the soul of the fact.” This composition is less about depicting reality and more about expressing a feeling, a mood. The rough texture of the woodcut adds to the emotional weight of the piece. Weber uses the visual language of modernism to explore themes of identity, spirituality, and the immigrant experience. It's a powerful testament to the search for belonging, a feeling that resonates across time.