Gargantua: Chapter XXII - Les jeux 1942

Bernard Reder made this print, Gargantua: Chapter XXII - Les jeux, sometime in the 20th century, and it's such a playful scene, rendered with such graphic intensity. It's all black and white, no messing around, just pure contrast, and it makes you think about how much you can do with so little, you know? I'm drawn to the way Reder uses the starkness of the medium to convey a sense of exuberance. Look at the figure crawling, weighed down by the figure on his back, the lines are thick and bold, almost chunky, which gives it a real physical presence. It's like you can feel the weight and strain of the game they're playing. Then, there's the background, all these quick, sharp lines that create this dense, almost chaotic space, like the whole world is in on the fun. This print reminds me a bit of Picasso's linocuts, especially in the way he reduces forms to their essential elements. It's like Reder and Picasso are having a conversation across time, riffing on the same ideas, pushing the boundaries of what you can do with a limited palette. But who knows? Maybe they were just trying to capture a bit of the wildness and joy of being alive.