Veteran 1936

Irving Marantz made this woodcut, Veteran, sometime in the mid-20th century. It’s a striking image in black and white, focusing on the stark contrast between light and shadow, which, for me, reveals so much about its making. You can almost feel the artist carving away at the wood, deciding what to keep and what to leave behind. I particularly love the way the white of the paper becomes the highlights on the figure's coat, but there's a baby floating in his hand, like a daydream. It's almost like a memory, a dream, or a wish hovering there. The textures created by the wood grain add another layer of depth, giving the print a tactile quality. You can see the influence of German Expressionism, with its raw emotion and bold graphic style. But, like all great art, it stands alone, speaking to the complexities of life, loss, and memory. It’s not just about the image, but about the act of making, and how that act can reveal profound truths.