Alter Bauer. – Kopf Senn R. 1917 - 1918

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner made this woodcut, Alter Bauer. – Kopf Senn R., at an unknown date. With stark black lines carving out a world, it’s all about the process of reduction, cutting away to reveal the image. Look at the texture! It’s built from such deliberate, almost violent cuts. The old farmer’s face emerges, a mask of deep-set eyes and a wild beard. The crude, jagged marks give him a haunted, almost desperate look. See how the lines around his head radiate outwards like he’s exploding with some internal energy? This print reminds me a little of Edvard Munch. Both Kirchner and Munch share that angst, the raw emotional honesty that just tears through the surface. Ultimately, though, art’s not about one right answer; it’s about the conversation, the back-and-forth, and the space for all our interpretations.