J. P. T. Portrait of a Crook 1950

Antonio Frasconi made this woodcut, J. P. T. Portrait of a Crook, probably sometime in the mid-20th century. I love the stark contrast of the black ink against the white paper and how the artist coaxes such texture and detail out of what is essentially a reductive process. The cutting of the wood creates these nervous white lines that feel very alive. Look closely, and you'll see the way Frasconi uses the wood grain to create different effects, like the swirling vortex around the figure's head, as though it's all just a bad dream! I really admire the details in the face of the 'crook' here, it's not a flattering portrait, but it is certainly a lively and engaging one. The money and skyscrapers that surround him feel like they are suffocating him, or perhaps they are the only things he cares about. Frasconi’s visual language feels connected to artists like José Guadalupe Posada, who also used printmaking to make social and political commentary. These images can carry a lot of information and feeling in a really immediate way, don’t you think?