Man en edelhert 1935

This woodcut, Man en edelhert, was made by Aristide Maillol. Look at the stark contrast! What do you make of that dreamlike pairing between a man and a deer? The heavy black ink encloses the lovers in a kind of embrace, but I wonder about the artist’s own hand as they carved the woodblock. What might Maillol have been thinking, as he chiseled away at the surface, revealing these figures with such bold precision? I love the mystery of it; the way the white paper and dark ink create such a graphic intensity. It’s like a scene caught between worlds, where human and animal merge. I often feel like artists are channeling something beyond themselves, reaching back and forth across time. It’s not just about what's depicted, but about the process, the touch, the way an artist leaves their mark. Each piece becomes a site where meanings shift, and we, as viewers, get to add our own layers of interpretation.