Mask 1919 - 1920

This is Max Weber's woodcut, "Mask". The composition is dominated by a vertical orientation, with the mask's form tightly contained within a rectangular frame. The artist uses simplified geometric shapes and a muted palette of browns, blues, and reds. The crude, textured surface evokes a sense of primitive art. Weber reduces the face to its essential components—eyes as circles, a triangular nose, and a mouth indicated by a horizontal slash. The form echoes the structural investigations of Cubism and the raw emotional expressionism of early modernism, which challenged traditional representation. Weber destabilizes conventional portraiture by presenting a fragmented and abstracted face. This abstraction invites interpretation beyond mere likeness. The mask's form acts as a signifier. It reflects broader philosophical concerns about identity, representation, and the human condition in a rapidly changing world. Weber compels us to confront the very nature of seeing. He also emphasizes how we construct meaning through simplified visual elements.