Bred vej, huse, træer 1931

Henry Nielsen’s ‘Bred vej, huse, træer’ is a woodcut landscape, made at some point in the 1930s. The process seems really direct: raw, almost clumsy, but full of energy. I love the way that Nielsen has played with the contrast between the stark white and dense blacks, giving the impression of both depth and flatness. The slashing marks in the lower-left corner, representing a field or a path, are so immediate and expressive. They remind me of the kinds of marks you might make absentmindedly, but here they are the main event! The whole thing has a kind of raw, almost naive quality, and it is this that gives the piece so much charm. I find myself thinking of German Expressionist woodcuts, such as those of Kirchner, but I also wonder if Nielsen might have known the work of the American artist, Milton Avery? Whatever the influences, it feels like a totally authentic piece. A vision.