Giant 1961

Misch Kohn made this print called 'Giant' and it looks as if it was born out of bold strokes and deep blacks. You can see the whole act of painting, of layering and shaping happening right before your eyes. I imagine Kohn wrestling with the form, building up this massive figure piece by piece. What was he thinking as he made it? Was he trying to express something about power? Or about vulnerability? There's a kind of raw energy in the way the ink has been laid down, thick in some places, thinner in others, creating a real sense of texture. That one arm reaching out feels so loaded with feeling, like a gesture of connection or maybe defiance. Kohn’s work often grapples with themes of social justice and the human condition, a conversation with artists like Goya and Daumier who used printmaking to make powerful statements about the world. And just like them, Kohn invites us to engage in a dialogue, embracing the complexity and ambiguity that makes art so alive.