Musu- Musu - Head Hunting Spirit 1948

Helmi Dagmar Juvonen created this print, Musu- Musu - Head Hunting Spirit, using graphic marks to explore a personal mythology. The image feels really alive, almost vibrating with energy, you know? The carving into the block seems direct, each line a decisive move, creating a contrast that's stark and powerful. Look at how the artist uses these z-shaped lines over the figure's face and body. They create this sense of unease and tension. It’s like the figure is buzzing with some kind of inner turmoil or maybe even, power. The texture is important. You can almost feel the tool in your own hand, digging into the material. It’s not smooth or polished; it’s raw and immediate. And that rawness is what makes it so compelling. Juvonen's work reminds me a little of the early expressionist woodcuts. But where those artists were perhaps reflecting the anxieties of a changing world, Juvonen seems to be looking inward, conjuring a very personal, very intense vision. The beauty of art is that it holds space for both.