Qual (Torment) 1920 - 1921

Walter Gramatté made this expressive woodcut, "Qual (Torment)", using strong colors and bold marks. You can almost feel the artist digging into the woodblock, wrestling with the material to bring forth this raw emotion. Looking closely, see how the colors aren't blended but laid down in distinct areas? That green, that red, that stark yellow. This directness adds to the feeling of unease and struggle. See the parallel lines that make up the shadows? It reminds me of some of the woodcuts of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, where the process itself becomes part of the emotional language. There’s something so immediate and visceral about the medium of woodcut, the way the artist has to carve away to create the image. And in "Qual (Torment)", Gramatté really uses that quality to convey a sense of inner turmoil. The image really embraces the multiple interpretations of torment, suffering, and mental anguish.