Street Market 1938

William Jacobs made this woodblock print called "Street Market" in 1938, a time when many artists were exploring printmaking. He really digs into the contrast between black and white; it's like he's carving out the light from the darkness, you can almost feel the mark making process. Looking at the surface, you can see the grain of the wood coming through, adding this tactile, almost gritty quality to the scene. Take a look at the bottom left corner of the print, the lines there are so densely packed, they create this sense of weight and shadow, anchoring the whole composition. It reminds me a little of some of the German Expressionist woodcuts, like those by Käthe Kollwitz, where the artists use the starkness of the medium to convey raw emotion and social commentary. It’s all about embracing the process and finding beauty in the unexpected.