Meditation 1920

Max Weber made this print called Meditation, and it’s all about paring things back. He’s using the printmaking process to explore the essence of form and feeling. Look at how the figure emerges from a haze of marks. The texture isn’t smoothed out, it’s rough, and lets the light catch in different ways. The blocky shapes of the face and hands are so simplified, almost like a carving. It’s like Weber is digging into the material to find something primal. There’s a real sense of quietness in this work. This print reminds me of woodcuts by artists like Gauguin who were also searching for something raw and honest in their work. It's a reminder that sometimes the most powerful statements are made with the fewest possible marks.