Air Raid Wardens 1943

Richard Correll made this linocut called 'Air Raid Wardens' in 1943. Look at the way he carved out these stark contrasts, it’s like he’s wrestling with the material to make these forms appear! It’s all blacks and whites here, no room for in-between. The texture is all in the lines; see how they build up and create shadows? And that white space, it's not just emptiness, it's charged, like a spotlight. The linework is incredibly detailed, especially in the upper right corner. It looks like smoke or debris, and the way he’s built up the marks there, it almost feels like you could reach out and touch it. This piece reminds me a bit of some of the German Expressionist woodcuts – artists like Kathe Kollwitz. They both have this raw, emotional quality. Ultimately, art isn't about giving you all the answers. It's about opening up a space for questions.