Striker 1938

Frank Davidson made this woodcut, called Striker, sometime in the 20th century, we don't know exactly when. I'm always interested in work that plays with positive and negative space. Here, the stark contrast between black and white heightens the emotional intensity of the figure's pose. It’s all about the carving away, the revealing of form through subtraction, which is a powerful metaphor for the process of art-making itself. Davidson's use of the woodcut medium emphasizes texture. Look at the way the light flickers across the surface of the water, created by these sharp, deliberate cuts. The figure is hunched, head in hand. It's so stark, so raw. I’m drawn to the vulnerability it conveys. The bold lines and the reduction of form to its essence remind me a bit of Käthe Kollwitz's printmaking. Ultimately, Davidson's Striker embraces the inherent ambiguity of art. It invites us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the work, making it a truly collaborative experience between artist and viewer.