The Attic Window 1920

Mildred McMillen made this print called The Attic Window, and it's giving me major process vibes. It’s all about how simple shapes – black and white, no gradients here – can build into a kind of complex scene. There’s something so satisfying about the graphic quality of it. The blocks of black and white are laid down so decisively; you can almost feel the cutting tool moving through the block. It’s a brave way to make a picture, to commit to these strong contrasts, like, how do you make it read? I’m looking at the woman standing there, and the way her dress is rendered, and it’s like, the black and white aren’t trying to trick you. They’re just… there. It reminds me a little bit of some of the German Expressionist woodcuts, like Kirchner, where the subject is less important than the feeling. You get the sense that McMillen is more interested in the act of making, the physicality of the medium, than in creating a perfect representation. And maybe that’s what art’s all about anyway, right?