Wind-Blown Trees 1925

Lola Wheaton made this block print, ‘Wind-Blown Trees’, sometime between 1920 and 1930, using a reductive black and white palette. The negative space almost seems to be fighting for dominance, pushing into the blocky shapes of the trees, the clouds and the churned-up ground. The thing I find most compelling here is the sheer energy of the mark making – the scratchy lines ripple across the land, mimicking the force of the wind. I imagine Wheaton digging into the block with real gusto; the texture is raw, immediate, and you can practically feel the wind biting at your face! Take a look at the way the clouds are rendered, like a mass of tiny dots and dashes. Each mark feels deliberate, yet the overall effect is one of spontaneity and freedom. It reminds me of the woodcuts of the German Expressionists, like Erich Heckel, who were also interested in capturing raw emotion through simplified forms and bold contrasts. Art is an ongoing conversation.