The Occurence (Girl with Fish and Birds) 1920

Heinrich Campendonk made this mysterious print, called The Occurrence, using woodcut – so, a process of carving and printing. It’s like a collision of night and day, dark and light, a puzzle of flat shapes that come together to suggest a world. There’s this figure in the middle, half in shadow and half illuminated, surrounded by birds and another figure in the background. What I love about woodcuts is the texture, the way the grain of the wood fights against the image, lending it a raw, tactile quality. Look at the way Campendonk uses solid black to define shapes. It’s so bold, but then he also leaves areas untouched, letting the paper breathe and create highlights. The black is so dominant, but the lighter areas of yellow, blue and green seem to glow against it. Campendonk reminds me a little of Kandinsky in his earlier, more folk-inspired phase; both artists are after something primal. Ultimately, it’s the ambiguity that draws me in. It invites you to project your own feelings and interpretations onto the artwork.