J. P. T. Portrait of a Crook 1950

This is Antonio Frasconi’s 'J. P. T. Portrait of a Crook,’ a woodcut print. Look at the way he carved out the solid blacks, how the image almost pops out at you. I think of the artist wrestling with the woodblock, carving out these bold shapes to reveal a figure consumed by symbols of wealth - coins, stacks of money, a check, even a couple of pineapples! And a fish! I imagine Frasconi thinking about the complexities of greed. Look at the face of the figure. He almost seems tortured by his own desires. There is something about the raw quality of the woodcut that makes it so compelling. It feels immediate, like a direct line to the artist's hand and mind. And it’s so graphic, so clear, so sure of itself.