De Notenkraker, 16 november 1907 / Oost-Indisch blind Possibly 1907 - 1916

This lithograph, "De Notenkraker," by Albert Hahn, was made in 1907, and I can only imagine the printing press churning out these images, one after the other. It feels like a punchy political statement. I am thinking about the way Hahn, like any artist, probably played with the materials at hand, testing the limits of the printing press, and of the stone itself. I see the image and I imagine the artist thinking "How do I make a crowd? How do I make bodies?" Maybe he was thinking of Daumier, who also drew crowds and drew political figures. The lithographic lines are etched so deep here! Like the sharpest black ink, it is dark and moody, but there is still light in the picture. I'm struck by the expressive lines and the contrast between the dark tones and the white of the paper. And I’m wondering, isn’t that what we all do, play between light and dark? Artists are in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas, inspiring one another’s creativity, and questioning our place in it all.