Handslag 1925

This is “Handslag,” made by Jo Bezaan, though we don’t know exactly when. It’s a woodcut, so that means someone carved away at a block of wood and then printed it. You can see the strong contrast between the black lines and the white paper. The woodcut shows three figures shaking hands over a goat. I imagine Bezaan working on this, thinking about connection and maybe even tension. Those lines are so bold; you can feel the artist’s hand in every cut. The dark, blocky figures are pretty intense and confrontational. This work makes me think about other expressionist artists, like Kirchner or Heckel, who were also exploring themes of alienation and connection. Ultimately, art is like a big conversation across time. Artists see what others have done, and they respond, question, and add their own voice to the mix. Each mark, each choice, is part of this ongoing dialogue.