Isaac Hull Esq. 1953

Roy Lichtenstein made this striking linocut, Isaac Hull Esq., in 1953. Right away, you can see it’s all about the push and pull of black and white. It's so graphic! The image feels both immediate and like it has been crafted carefully. Look at the way he’s used lines – thick, thin, parallel, radiating – to define form and texture. It’s amazing how much information he can convey with just these simple marks. The figure’s coat, for example, is rendered with these tight, vertical lines, creating a sense of depth and volume. But then, in other areas, like the background, the lines are more abstract and decorative. They almost vibrate. This reminds me of some of the German Expressionist woodcuts, Kirchner for example. I can imagine the process of cutting into the linoleum and the kind of physical effort that must have gone into its making. In the end, the image becomes more than just a portrait, it is a record of a process, a conversation between the artist and their materials, and part of a long conversation between artists through time.