Christ in Gethsemane 1919

Ernst Barlach made this woodcut, Christ in Gethsemane, and the stark contrast between black and white feels really immediate, like a drawing but with more commitment. The thing about woodcuts is, you have to really mean it. The texture of the wood creates these bold lines and graphic shapes, it's hard to get subtlety but the bold, almost crude, marks can be really powerful. Look at the way Barlach uses these lines to define Christ's robe, or the rough ground he kneels on. The face is especially raw, etched with worry; you can see the emotion in the deep shadows. The sleeping figures in the background add another layer of emotional complexity. It’s a bit like some of the German Expressionist work being made at the time, like Käthe Kollwitz. It's not just about the image, it's about the process and the feeling behind it. A great piece for thinking about how an image can be emotionally expressive, even with very limited means.