Editor’s Conservation with a Statesman 1907

Moriz Jung made this woodcut, "Editor’s Conversation with a Statesman," sometime before 1915; the color palette is limited, almost austere, and so the composition is doing most of the heavy lifting. It shows us how simplifying our choices can sometimes clarify our message. The main event here is the overwhelming pile of white ribbon that dominates the foreground. Its thick, graphic lines are bold, confident, and really give the eye a lot to follow. I love how this mass of white space pushes the figures into the background. And isn't it strange, one of them is consuming this snaking ribbon like it is endless pasta? This absurd detail emphasizes the cartoonish quality of the figures. Jung’s style, with its flattened perspective and stark contrasts, reminds me a little of early Kirchner, though maybe less angsty. You know, art doesn't always have to shout; sometimes, a quiet conversation, even with a statesman, can be just as powerful. It leaves you wondering, what's really being communicated here?