Huizen aan een straat 1924

Jan Kraan made "Huizen aan een straat" with a woodcut in 1929. It's all about the dance of black and white, a real push and pull. You can almost feel the artist figuring it out as he goes. Check out how Kraan handles the cobblestones. Each one is like a little puzzle piece, fitting together just so. It’s like he’s not just showing us a street, but also the act of seeing itself. The high contrast is pretty striking, almost like a film noir scene. The negative space is key; it shapes the houses and guides your eye down that street. It reminds me a bit of some German Expressionist prints, all those dramatic angles. But Kraan has his own thing going on. It’s rough, immediate, and full of energy. Art’s an ongoing conversation, and this piece is Kraan's bold statement. It embraces a beautiful kind of ambiguity, letting you bring your own story to the table.