Carpenter 1956

John Ross made this striking linocut, titled 'Carpenter', using bold mark making to describe a scene of labour and construction. The image vibrates with energy, those graphic lines are so full of purpose! Look at the carpenter’s arm, it's a flurry of short, sharp marks that describe the tension and strength in his muscles. Those marks become a kind of abstraction. Like a painter building up layers, Ross constructs the image bit by bit. I love how he uses simple black and white to convey depth and texture, it’s like a visual shorthand. The saw cutting into the wood is a beautiful detail, like a metaphor for the artist carving into the linoleum block. It reminds me of Gauguin’s woodcuts, that same raw, expressive quality. Ross invites us to see the world through the eyes of a maker, celebrating the beauty and grit of everyday life.