Dogs 1925

Christian Rohlfs made this image of dogs sometime in his career using a woodcut printmaking technique. I imagine Rohlfs carving into that block, deciding which parts to keep and which to cut away, inking the surface, and then pressing paper onto the block. What a process! And look at these dogs, all hanging out together in that orangey-red space, they're so present. What do you think Rohlfs was thinking, making this? The lines are dark and sure, describing the shapes of the dogs but also adding a lot of expressive energy. The red is a warm, earthy tone, setting a kind of emotional mood. Rohlfs is part of a whole gang of Expressionist painters who were digging into those kinds of feelings in the early 20th century. I think painters are always looking at each other, riffing off each other's moves, it makes you feel part of a big conversation, right? It’s a back and forth across time.