Spillway 1936

Arnold Wiltz made this black-and-white woodcut print, called "Spillway," in July 1936. The whole image is built up from very fine, graphic marks, which can be read almost like a field of energy. Looking closely, you can see how Wiltz has used the linear texture of the woodblock to create the illusion of depth and dimension. See how the marks follow the form of the dam on the left, describing each block in fine detail? The density of the marks creates a powerful contrast between the dark dam and the bright sky beyond. The clouds flow like water, echoing the spillway itself. The sharp angles and tonal contrasts remind me of the prints of early 20th century European Expressionists like Erich Heckel, who like Wiltz, used the woodcut medium to make bold statements about modern life. Art is always in conversation, and while Wiltz may have been geographically distant from those artists, their shared vocabulary speaks to a universal language of form and feeling.