Le parvenu 1922

This is Frans Masereel’s woodcut, Le parvenu, made in 1952. I can picture the artist carving away at the block, each gouge precise and deliberate, inking and printing, the image emerging from stark contrasts. Look at the relentless geometry of those buildings receding into the distance and the way the smoke puffs out above the factory’s chimney. It's like the air itself is being strangled. I feel like he's really laying it on thick, you know? And that guy in the foreground! With his suit and tie, his face is so blocky, and hard to read, I'm wondering what Masereel was thinking about when he made this. I can imagine him wrestling with these forms, trying to capture the essence of someone on the make. It reminds me of Otto Dix. I like how these guys are in conversation, they are not afraid of being heavy-handed in their approach. Painting, like carving, is a constant back and forth, a push and pull. It's about embodying the spirit of the age, warts and all, and hoping someone gets it.