New Years Card: Cheers 1911 (Prosit) 1910

This New Years card titled: Cheers, was made in 1911 by Hans Kalmsteiner. The graphic style has this gorgeous quality, with a limited palette and bold outlines. You can tell that the artist relished the process of art making. The texture of the paper has aged, which is part of its charm. I'm fascinated by the contrast between the stark black ink and the subtle off-white of the card. Look at how the black areas are solid, but the artist allows the white paper to breathe through the negative space of the slender figure. And, did you notice the small, deliberate marks that create texture on the pig? It’s as if Kalmsteiner wanted to remind us that even in something as graphic as a print, there’s always room for nuance. This card reminds me of other graphics from the period, particularly the bold lithographs of the German Expressionists. I love how art talks to each other across time.