Title Page c. 1920

Ernst Barlach made this woodcut, called Title Page, in 1922. I love how the entire image, lettering and all, feels carved, like each letter and line emerges from the same block. The texture here isn’t about paint, but the raw, almost violent act of cutting into wood. Look at the angel, how its robe is formed from these really decisive, parallel lines. It’s stark, graphic, and emotionally charged. You can almost feel the artist wrestling with the material, each mark a testament to the struggle between control and chance. I think of Käthe Kollwitz, another German artist working at the same time, who also embraced the expressive power of printmaking. Both artists used the medium to convey a sense of urgency and social commentary. Ultimately, this print reminds us that art is never truly finished but rather a continuous process of exploration and reinterpretation.