St. George and the Dragon 1941

Louis Schanker made this compelling print, St. George and the Dragon, using woodcut on paper. The way he approaches the image, with its bold shapes and simplified forms, feels intuitive, as if he's discovering the scene as he carves. The texture of the wood is really present, almost like you can feel the grain beneath the ink. The solid blues contrast with the white of the paper, creating a graphic punch. And there's a real physicality to the marks, especially the way Schanker carves the dragon. Look at the lines forming the wing – they're not trying to be realistic, but they convey a sense of movement and energy. It's not about perfection; it's about capturing the essence of the story. Schanker, like many artists of his time, was interested in exploring the possibilities of abstraction. You can see echoes of artists like Kandinsky or Franz Marc in his work, but he brings his own unique sensibility to the mix. The beauty of art is in the conversation it sparks, these echoes and responses across time. There’s never just one way to see things.