Seated Woman 1919 - 1920

Max Weber made this woodcut, "Seated Woman," and it's a great example of how simplicity can pack a punch. The dark brown ink against the paper creates a stark contrast, a process of carving away to reveal an image. What strikes me is the texture. You can almost feel the grain of the wood, especially in the way the ink catches on the surface. Look at the woman's face—those elongated eyes, filled with solid black, give her a haunting, almost melancholic expression. It's so direct, so unadorned. Then there's the way Weber suggests form with these bold, geometric shapes. Her breasts are just two simple curves, her legs these solid blocks. It reminds me a bit of early Picasso, that same interest in reducing figures to their most essential forms. But Weber brings his own sensibility, a kind of raw honesty that's really compelling. Art isn't about perfection, it's about expression, about finding new ways to see the world.