Composition No.2 (Window) 1934

Curator: Werner Drewes’ woodcut, "Composition No. 2 (Window)," created in 1934. It’s a powerful example of German Expressionism. Editor: Stark! The high contrast creates immediate tension. The sharp, jutting lines and stark shapes are almost aggressive. Curator: Drewes emigrated to the US, where his style was informed by interactions with the Bauhaus, and particularly the socio-political anxieties roiling Germany during the interwar period. Editor: Exactly. Seeing this as a 'window'-- perhaps a fractured window—offers a glimpse into the disquiet of that time. This feels almost like a distorted, unstable reality. We see these shapes, trapped but also struggling against their constraints. It reflects broader political restrictions of expression at the time, both artistically and socially. Curator: He’s playing with Constructivist and Cubist vocabularies too, the window as both a physical barrier and a transparent medium. The print medium lends itself to the graphic feel; its flatness also plays into a reading as a window, flattened into near invisibility. The use of negative space creates an interesting tension with the heavy blacks as well. Editor: Absolutely. This push and pull is definitely deliberate and incredibly evocative. You can practically hear the scream embedded within the carefully structured chaos. And this visual conflict reflects an inner tension – artistic struggle. I wonder how his exile affected the interpretation, the artistic intentions themselves. Curator: Exile is certainly at the forefront here, and these angular geometries definitely imply being hemmed in. Thinking about this image, it is also the beginning of artistic growth, a time capsule. It represents his state, but, in time, it shows the development of German Expressionism as it moved West. Editor: Looking at it, I appreciate this collision of form and emotion, knowing the turmoil that inspired its creation, and I find the image newly powerful for it. Curator: And perhaps the best takeaway is the endurance of the piece to affect emotions still to this day, especially with this historical understanding and awareness.