The Old Fisherman 1984

This image shows a woodcut of The Old Fisherman by Edvard Munch. I imagine Munch, like many of us, staring intently at the block of wood, trying to decide where to start. It's fascinating how the stark contrasts of black and white create such depth. I think about the push and pull of the tool, the physical act of carving, and the smell of wood. You can almost feel the rough texture of the wood grain beneath the fisherman's weathered face. The vertical lines behind the figure give a sense of something looming or a storm brewing out at sea. It's like Munch is asking, ‘What does it mean to be a person after a lifetime of experiences?’ The way the lines carve out the face, it really puts me in mind of other printmakers, like Käthe Kollwitz, who have an emotional charge to their marks. You feel like the artist is digging for something deep.