Rosi Fischer 1919

Curator: This is Werner Gothein’s striking woodcut portrait from 1919, titled "Rosi Fischer." Editor: It's…intense. Those eyes bore right through you. It feels both comical and deeply unsettling, like a dream where familiar faces become monstrous. Curator: Precisely. Gothein utilized the graphic nature of the print medium to really highlight specific features in a rather caricatured way. Notice the dramatic contrast of black and white. Woodcut printing in this period enabled artists to experiment rapidly and cheaply. Editor: It makes me wonder who Rosi Fischer was. Was she amused? Appalled? Did she recognise herself in this…angular visage? Curator: It certainly invites speculation! This artwork lives within the broader German Expressionist movement, which often prioritized emotional impact and the artist’s internal experience above purely mimetic representation. It represents the feeling rather than just appearance. The grotesque often finds beauty within the self. Editor: So, the harshness, the almost violent cutting into the wood block—it mirrors a certain emotional turbulence. Maybe Gothein isn't just depicting Rosi, but also reflecting the chaos of the time, right after the First World War? Curator: Exactly. We can't ignore the impact of socio-political upheaval on artistic production. There are other prints made in similar styles such as Käthe Kollwitz using art to explore emotion after the war. The availability of printing opened new modes of consumption and production within art. Editor: Thinking about that physicality, the labour...You can feel the artist grappling with something difficult through the medium itself. It goes beyond mere observation. I suppose, that resonates even a century later. Curator: Absolutely. And it compels us to engage, doesn't it? To think critically about the act of representation and the circumstances surrounding artistic creation. Editor: Well, I for one, won't be forgetting Rosi's gaze any time soon! Thanks, Gothein. For better or for worse.