Drie vrouwen uit Afrika en twee matrozen 1925

André Lhote made this linocut titled 'Three African Women and Two Sailors' by carving into linoleum, then inking the surface and pressing it onto paper. The sharp contrasts of black and white—wow! You can see the labor and decision-making right there on the surface. I wonder about Lhote making this print... What was he thinking? Perhaps about encounters and faraway places. The artist is orchestrating a meeting between these figures. It feels a little voyeuristic. Like a dream. The way he has rendered those waves with the simplest marks reminds me of Japanese prints from Hokusai. The composition is a dance between flat shapes and implied depth. It makes me think about how art can be a bridge, connecting different cultures and times through the language of form. Artists borrow from each other. They are in constant dialogue, remixing ideas, and pushing boundaries.