Death with a Coffin c. 1917

Christian Rohlfs made this woodcut, titled Death with a Coffin, with a stark black and white palette that feels immediate. It's all about the process, I think, the carving, the decisions made with each cut. Look at the areas where the black bleeds slightly; it's not a perfect, clean line, and that's where the magic happens. It gives the whole image a kind of rawness, a realness. The texture isn't just visual; you can almost feel the grain of the wood, the resistance against the blade. It makes you think about the physical act of making, the labor involved, and the way the artist is grappling with his subject. Rohlfs's bold use of the woodcut process reminds me of the German Expressionists, like Kirchner, who were also exploring the anxieties of modern life through simplified forms. There's a sense of urgency, of trying to capture something essential before it slips away. Art isn’t about answers, but about embracing the questions, the doubts, and the messiness of being human.