Vlammend gezicht met open mond en meerdere slangen 1919

This print, *Vlammend gezicht met open mond en meerdere slangen* by Huib Luns, screams at you from the page. It’s all black and white, which is the nature of the medium. Woodcuts and linocuts are so graphic. You have to really commit to each mark, each line. They all count. I mean, you can’t just blend away your mistakes in a woodcut! Look at the snaky tendrils framing the face. There’s a real energy in the way they coil and writhe, echoing the open mouth and wide eyes. Those eyes are so striking, ringed with white, like the figure is truly shocked. The artist’s hand is so present; you can see the way the tool bit into the wood, leaving behind a trail of dark ink. It’s a process that embraces mistakes, incorporates them into the final image, and it’s all the more powerful for it. This feels a little like Munch, but maybe a bit more decorative, what do you think?