Voetwassing 1903 - 1920

Bernard Essers created this black ink woodcut, titled "Voetwassing," or "The Washing of Feet" sometime between 1915 and 1945. The graphic division of black and white generates a patterned effect that is reminiscent of wallpaper. The action, a ritual foot washing, is set within a space that is filled with an abundance of plants. I imagine Essers working with his carving tools, making careful incisions into the wood block, removing slivers of material to bring forth this image from the darkness. I wonder what Essers was thinking as he worked on this piece, repeating motifs, creating hierarchies of dark and light. The action is set back, surrounded by growth and greenery. You can feel the artist's hand—that deliberate, repetitive mark-making, which defines the image through positive and negative space. Ultimately, I am reminded that art is an ongoing conversation, across generations, pushing us to reimagine ways of seeing and being.