Figurine 1943

Erich Müller-Kraus made this striking woodcut print, Figurine, in 1943. I love how the earth is clutched by brick hands, as if cradling or protecting it. The texture of the print is so raw and honest, and you can practically feel the artist carving into the wood. There's a real physicality to it, a sense of wrestling with the material. Notice the contrast between the solid black ink of the upper part, and the more transparent red in the lower half. The bricks curve like some kind of vessel or shelter. And then there's that tiny figure perched on the pillar – is it a symbol of hope? Maybe it’s Kraus's nod to classical sculpture, a hint of what remains when all else crumbles. This piece reminds me a bit of the German Expressionist woodcuts, like those by Kirchner or Heckel, where the rough cuts and bold lines convey a similar kind of angst and urgency. It really embodies art's potential to hold multiple, often conflicting, ideas together.