Daphnis en Chloë samen liggend 1937

Aristide Maillol made this woodcut print, Daphnis en Chloë, in an unknown year. It is a reductive process: Maillol carefully cut away at the block to leave only the outlines of his figures. The surrounding areas were then inked and printed, leaving the figures as the white of the paper. The bold graphic quality is no accident. Woodcut was a favorite method for making images that could be reproduced, widely and cheaply. Though Maillol also made paintings and sculptures, this print underscores his interest in making art accessible. The intimate scene, after a classical story of young lovers, is thus rendered in a way that could be widely shared. The making of art and the making of culture are inseparable. This work exemplifies that link, even though the woodcut medium might be considered "mere" illustration by some. Maillol’s choice to make this a print, shows that it is so much more than that.