Prophet 1912

Emil Nolde made this woodcut, called Prophet, and held by MoMA, using stark black ink on paper, and that contrast gets right to the point. Look at the gouges made by the cutting tool, how direct and kind of violent they are. That’s process right there; you can practically hear the blade meeting the wood. The texture is raw, almost like the image is emerging from the darkness. It feels biblical, maybe, but in a visceral, not-so-holy way. See the eyes? Deep set and intense, like they've seen too much. Then there's that beard, roughly hewn, each line a statement. It’s like Nolde is wrestling with something profound, and we’re right there in the room with him. This print reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, who also knew how to make black and white carry the weight of the world. Both artists embraced the power of ambiguity, leaving space for us to bring our own experiences to the table.