Cowhand c. 1943

Jack Van Deckter made this print called 'Cowhand'. The face is a landscape of sorts, right? Look at the hat shading his face, like a mountain casting a shadow. The lines and the cross hatching, they’re like the tools that sculpt the image. You get the sense of Van Deckter digging in, physically wrestling with the wood to bring this cowhand to life. See the eyes? One in the light, one in shadow. That’s a great trick. The light eye looks out at you, and the dark one seems to be looking inward, pondering something. It's almost as if two different people inhabit the same face. That’s the power of printmaking, right? It reminds me of some of Kathe Kollwitz’s prints. This piece, like hers, is about the human condition. It's all about the process of making art. The cowhand isn't a cowboy, they're an idea, or a feeling, something Van Deckter worked through with his tools.