Head of a Young Girl (Madchenkopf) 1919

Erich Heckel made this print, Head of a Young Girl, and it’s all about the stark contrast of black lines against a pale background, kind of raw and immediate. I imagine him hunched over a plate, scratching away with fierce focus. The girl’s got this intense gaze, like she's seen some stuff, and there’s a definite angularity to her face. Those sharp lines feel almost sculptural, carving out her features with an edgy intensity. I wonder what Heckel was thinking when he made it. Was he trying to capture her vulnerability, her strength, or maybe both at the same time? Heckel was part of a group of German Expressionist artists, and I see echoes of their work in this print. It makes me think about Kirchner, or even some of the woodcuts of Edvard Munch. There is something very contemporary in the mark making. It’s like they were all in this conversation about how to push the boundaries of representation. Art making, after all, is one big discussion, right?