Masks 1913

Fritz Baumann made this colour linocut, Masks, sometime around the first half of the 20th Century. What strikes me is the energy of the piece - it feels like Baumann’s trying to capture some raw, unfiltered emotion. Look at how the colours are laid down, each blocky form defined by a thick black line. There's a real physicality to the work, you can practically feel the gouge of the tool as he cuts into the linoleum. In the lower right corner there is a mask that seems to be shouting, the crude teeth and gaping mouth outlined in thick, wobbly black. It almost looks like the mask is trying to communicate, to tell us something urgent. The work of the German Expressionists, like Emil Nolde, who also worked a lot with printmaking, comes to mind. But Baumann has a unique approach, he’s not just copying what he sees, he’s wrestling with the material, pushing it to its limits. It feels like he is opening up a space for questions, for doubt, and for the kind of looking that isn't about answers but about possibility.