Mandsportræt med hat 1931

Here's a woodcut called 'Man's Portrait with Hat' made by Henry Nielsen in 1931. I'm struck by how the artist coaxes such a vivid image out of what is essentially a high-contrast process. It's not just about representation, it's about the dialogue between the tool and the wood. The inky blacks, the scumbled textures, the way the white of the paper flashes through – it all gives this image a real sense of depth. The hat casts a shadow, but also suggests a hidden interiority, almost like a mask. It reminds me of those early expressionist prints, like Kirchner or Heckel, where the roughness of the medium is part of the emotional language. Check out the way the artist carves the cigarette, it is such a bold, elegant mark that encapsulates the entire mood of the piece, hinting at both world-weariness and a quiet defiance. There's a raw, unrefined energy here which speaks to art as an ongoing process of discovery.