New Years Card: Cheers 1911 (Prosit) 1910

Hans Kalmsteiner made this cheery card in 1911. It's "Prosit Neujahr," which is German for Happy New Year! I can imagine him working at his desk, carefully inking the linoleum block to print this card. He's repeating the same shapes, but he's also allowing each one to be unique, like a little conversation. You know, the way the woman's body is made of flowing ink, and the grid is made of perfect squares. Maybe Kalmsteiner was thinking about the year ahead, the possibilities and uncertainties. It seems to me he was interested in the geometry of decoration—he must have seen Klimt's mosaics and Secessionist art. This card reminds me that painting, like life, is an ongoing process. It’s an exchange of ideas across time. We are constantly inspired by one another's creativity, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty.