Winter Moon c. 1940

Paul Heinrich Ebell made this woodblock print, "Winter Moon", sometime during his lifetime (1908-2008). Look at the relationship between the black and white – it’s so immediate, so graphic. This is art-making stripped down to a process of stark choices. The beauty of a woodblock print lies in its texture. You can almost feel the grain of the wood, where the knife cut away at the block. See how the stark black ink sits slightly raised on the paper? The moon is almost a scoop of ice cream, while the trees have a rough, untamed quality. The house seems solid, but also a little precarious, like a child's drawing. That little patch of black, just beneath the goat; it’s like a shadow, a void, a question mark. Ebell reminds me a little of Emil Nolde, another German Expressionist who wasn't afraid to embrace the raw, emotional power of color and form. Both artists leave you with a sense of wonder, the feeling that art can be found in the most unexpected places.