De Intocht 1920

This is a woodcut on paper, by Bernard Essers. The title translates to "The Entry," and I'm immediately struck by the artist's hand. You can almost feel him cutting into the wood block, carving away at the surface to reveal this bustling scene of people on horseback, a crowd gathered to witness some kind of procession. It's all in black and white, but the contrast is so sharp, so full of energy, that you can almost see the colors shimmering beneath the surface. I wonder what Essers was thinking as he made this piece? Was he trying to capture the excitement of the moment? Or was he more interested in the way the light played across the scene? Each mark seems so deliberate, so carefully placed, and each one helps build up the overall image. He might have looked at Albrecht Durer or the German Expressionists when he made it. For me, the real beauty of this piece lies in its simplicity. It's just black ink on white paper, but it manages to convey so much. It reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful art is the art that is made with the fewest materials, the art that is made with the most intention.