Night 1923

Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva made this woodcut, "Night," and it’s all about contrasts, right? Black and white, light and dark. It’s a scene built from simple marks, but those marks create this intense feeling of quiet drama. Look at how she carves the lines in the water; they're so straight and upright, like little soldiers. Then check out the sky! She makes these long, horizontal lines that give the sense of movement, like wind or something unseen passing through. The textures get me. The way the trees are a jumble of tiny cuts, so different from the smooth, calm water. And that little half-moon, just a sliver, hanging there. Ostroumova-Lebedeva was part of this whole Russian art scene that was trying to find a new way to see the world. She reminds me of some of the German Expressionist printmakers. They were all trying to use simple means to express big feelings. It’s like they knew that sometimes, less is more.