Highway West 1941

John O'Neil made "Highway West" in 1941 using a black ink to create a woodcut on cream paper. I can imagine the artist carefully carving away at the woodblock to create this stark image of rural America. O'Neil would have needed great precision when cutting away at the block, to create these dramatic contrasts between the crisp black lines and creamy white paper. The image almost looks like a bird from this angle! The way the clouds are rendered in this high contrast style and the open beak of the building. I'm wondering if O'Neil made this artwork after experiencing a dramatic moment or period in his life. It is a very dramatic image which is quite dark, even if it depicts a sunny landscape. While I am not a printmaker myself, I feel very connected to artists like O'Neil, who have dedicated themselves to different ways of image making.