Street with Tavern Lantern 1926

Solomon Borisovich Judovin made this wood engraving, Street with Tavern Lantern, in 1926. The high contrast black and white really sets the scene, doesn't it? It's like he's carving light itself, not just shapes. Look at how Judovin uses these parallel lines to build up the darks and lights. You can almost feel the sharpness of the tool as it cuts into the wood. There's a real physicality to the process, a push and pull between the artist and the material. The way the buildings lean, the sky presses down—it’s like the whole scene is breathing, each line a vital part of its existence. The lantern hanging in the foreground, that’s where everything meets. The way it glows softly against the dark lines, it feels like a beacon of hope or maybe just a place to rest a while. Think of other printmakers, like Käthe Kollwitz, with her stark, socially conscious imagery. Judovin shares that same sense of deep engagement with the world. This piece is less about perfect clarity, and more about embracing the gritty, beautiful ambiguity of life.