603A Sunset 1966

Friedensreich Hundertwasser created this artwork, "603A Sunset," using woodcut, a printmaking technique with a rich history in both art and commercial applications. In this process, the artist carves an image into the surface of a wood block, leaving the design raised. Ink is then applied to the raised areas, and the image is transferred to paper under pressure, in this instance with various vibrant colors. What’s great about woodcut is that the texture of the wood itself often subtly appears in the final print, adding a tactile dimension. Woodcut, in its directness and relative simplicity, has historically been a medium accessible to a wide range of practitioners. Yet, achieving the kind of precision and expressive range we see in Hundertwasser’s work requires considerable skill. The visible "work" in this print, from the carving of the block to the layering of inks, connects it to a longer lineage of graphic arts, one in which technical mastery and artistic vision come together.