Linoleum-Cuts by William Jacobs 1938

William Jacobs made these linoleum cuts with ink on paper, but when? The date is unknown. Looking at these blocky figures, I imagine Jacobs, pressing the linoleum onto paper. Thinking about his mark-making, I wonder about the kind of pressure, care and force he used to produce such strong impressions. The buildings in the background are geometric and flat, but the faces are more modeled with light and shade. The person on the left looks pensive, the person in the middle looks straight ahead and the person on the right is in profile. It feels like a conversation is taking place, but the tone and content are unclear. There is a lot of ambiguity in this image, which allows you to dream up many different scenarios. Looking at these characters, I think about the work of Elizabeth Catlett and Jacob Lawrence and wonder about the kind of conversations and forms of exchange that took place between artists at this time.