Walter-Winch-Bug 1950

This is 'Walter-Winch-Bug', a woodcut on paper, made by W. Iler, sometime before 1979. The process of making woodcuts is about carving away at the surface to make an image. What remains untouched on the block will be printed. It's a bold, almost brutal way of image-making, because you have to be quite decisive. And in this piece, the image is very striking; we have a worm-like creature, wearing a hat and standing on a raft. Underneath the raft, there is a whole collection of figures, all in various states of discomfort. I love the expression on these figures! The black ink is densely applied, and the stark contrast with the white of the paper makes the figures pop out. There's a real sense of drama. I'm reminded a little of the work of Max Beckmann, who also used printmaking to depict a kind of grotesque vision of the world. Art is like this, an ongoing conversation, with each artist adding their own unique voice. It's not always clear what they’re saying, but it’s always interesting!