Circus c. 1929

Katharine Schlater made this print called ‘Circus,’ and look at the way she’s carved this image using black and white to conjure up this crazy world. It’s a bold move, but it really pays off. What strikes me is the way Schlater embraced the physicality of her medium. You can almost feel the knife slicing through the block, creating these graphic shapes. See the clown, how she uses lines to suggest the frills of the costume, and how the stark contrast makes everything so dramatic? And that little ‘Mike and Ike’ cartoon down in the corner? It's like a hidden joke, a little wink from the artist. Schlater is playing with us, reminding us that art doesn't always have to be serious. It can be playful, like a circus. It reminds me of some of those German Expressionist woodcuts, where they really went for it with the heavy black lines and distorted forms. It's all part of this ongoing conversation artists have, borrowing and riffing off each other.