Voetwassing 1903 - 1920

This is Voetwassing by Bernard Essers, and look how he carves the image out of what appears to be a wood block. I love how the high contrast really makes you focus on the shapes and forms. Essers, like a good printmaker, really leans into the materiality of the medium. The texture of the cut wood really shines through, especially in the dark areas of the print. He contrasts this with the intricate details of the lilies and roses that frame the scene. Notice the way he uses the negative space to define the folds of the figures' robes. That level of detailing, how it interacts with the flat planes, is gorgeous. There’s this balance between the graphic and the refined, the bold and the intricate. It reminds me of some of the German Expressionist woodcuts, like those of Kirchner or Heckel. There’s that same kind of raw, emotional energy. Except Essers brings a certain… I don’t know, maybe it's the biblical reference, but it's there. Art is really a conversation across time.