A Cherokee Brave 1952

In 1952, Roy Lichtenstein made this woodcut, “A Cherokee Brave,” and it's a trip. What strikes me is the way the crude printing gives this so much life. Look at the orange zigzags popping against the raw white face! It feels like the making of this image was super important, like Lichtenstein was feeling his way into the figure. The brown is all hatchy and warm, while the gray has these beautiful mottled areas. It’s a rough image, but the texture feels good, almost inviting you to touch it. The whole thing feels very intuitive, very process-based. I’m reminded of some of the earlier 20th Century printmakers and painters like the German Expressionists. There's a similar urgency, using simplification and bold color to convey emotional depth. It's like he's saying, let's get back to the basics and see what happens!