Götz von Berlichingen 1920

Lovis Corinth made this print called "Götz von Berlichingen" with some kind of inky substance on paper. I love the way the dark ink clumps together, creating these intense shadowy forms that could be figures or just looming masses. It's like he’s wrestling with the subject matter. You can almost feel the push and pull of his hand as he works, the way he digs into the material to pull out these heavy shapes. The ink is thick and juicy in places, almost like tar, and then scratchy and light in others. Look at that figure on the right, how its form emerges from the darkness. There's a raw energy to it, a kind of immediacy that makes you feel like you’re right there in the studio with him, watching him work. This reminds me of some of the early Expressionist woodcuts, those artists who weren't afraid to get messy and rough. Like them, Corinth is interested in something more than just representation. He's after something deeper, something primal.