Mausefallenmann (Fallen Mouse Man) 1906

Here is an evocative print by Emil Nolde with stark tonal contrast of black on a pale brown paper. I can imagine him bent over the block, digging out the image bit by bit in the relief process. The figures emerge out of darkness, a kind of primal scream, and the wood gives the image a wonderful, rugged feel. I feel Nolde wrestling with something in this image. The figure on the left seems burdened, leaning heavily on a stick. Meanwhile, the figure on the right is upright, maybe even in a kind of supplication. What are they thinking? What are they doing? Maybe Nolde felt a bit like both figures at the same time. The heavy weight of the world and a sense of hope. You know, art is like a conversation across time. Nolde's work speaks to us, and we, in turn, respond with our own interpretations. It's all one big, messy, beautiful dialogue.