Gargantua: Chapter XXII 

Bernard Reder made this print, titled Gargantua: Chapter XXII, at some point during his career as a sculptor and graphic artist. The image depicts a scene of grotesque feasting, full of bodies and butchered animals. We can situate it in the context of 20th-century European Expressionism, an artistic movement that sought to convey subjective emotion through bold colors and distorted forms. Expressionist artists used their work to critique the social and political structures of their time. The Expressionist movement began in Germany in the early 20th century, in response to what they saw as the increasing alienation of the individual in modern society. Reder's woodcut shares this concern, using visual distortion and exaggeration to convey a sense of disgust and alienation. To better understand such an image, we can turn to sources such as period political theory and criticism, histories of art institutions, and biographies of the artist. These resources can help us understand the social conditions that shaped this unsettling image.