Composition X - Dynamic Rhythm 1934

Werner Drewes made this dynamic woodcut, Composition X - Dynamic Rhythm, in 1932. The stark contrast of black ink on the pale paper really animates the composition. I can just imagine Drewes, inking the block, carefully registering the paper, and pressing it down—maybe by hand, maybe with a press—to create the print. There are so many hard lines, it looks like a difficult and very physical process! I wonder if he listened to music while he worked? The composition feels suspended; like an explosion frozen in time. The textures of the linear marks, the hatched areas and the contrast of the cut and uncut areas of the wood give it a real sense of depth, like different planes pushing and pulling. It almost feels like he's talking to other artists through time with the language of mark-making and composition. I'm reminded that, as painters, we're all constantly in conversation with one another. We are constantly discovering new possibilities for expression.