Martelaar Possibly 1915

Lodewijk Schelfhout made this print called ‘Martelaar’ – Martyr in Dutch – and the marks! It's like he's digging in, making these tiny, furious lines. You can really see the artist’s hand at work here, a real process in action. Looking closely, the texture feels almost violent, doesn’t it? You can practically feel the scratch of the tool, a build-up of ink, the pressure of the artist's hand. The stark contrast between light and dark really grabs you. The figure’s hands, twisted and skeletal, are so striking. It is like the rest of the image swirls around this still point. I am reminded of Käthe Kollwitz, who also used printmaking to create works of social commentary and human emotion. It is clear that, in this work, Schelfhout sought to capture and convey something beyond the surface of the figure. It's this tension, this push and pull, that makes the piece so compelling.