Winter on the Creek 1940

Harry Gottlieb made this print, Winter on the Creek, using linoleum, and I love how immediate and graphic it feels. Look at the way he’s simplified the forms and flattened the space, making the whole scene feel like it’s right up against the picture plane. I’m really drawn to the texture created by the linocut. See how he uses these little white dashes to create the falling snow? They almost vibrate against the darker tones of the sky. It’s so simple, but so effective! This is a really clear example of how physical processes produce specific visual results, and how limitations like a restricted colour palette can also be strengths, making us really focus on the feeling of the piece. This print really makes me think of the work of the German Expressionists, like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, with its bold lines and heightened emotional quality. Like them, Gottlieb embraces the expressive potential of printmaking to convey a sense of immediacy and directness. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation, building on the ideas and innovations of the past.