Illustration to "Bandello" 1947

This illustration to "Bandello" was made by Imre Reiner, probably around 1947, and it's a print, likely a woodcut or etching. Look at how the lines swarm and cluster to create tone and form. It's like he's wrestling with the image, trying to pin it down. The figure’s face is so frontal, so insistent, but the marks are restless. See how they dig in, creating a real sense of texture, of the physical stuff of the print? There's a tension between the precision of the lines and the raw, almost chaotic energy they convey. The lines around the eyes are particularly striking, like deep wrinkles or scars, hinting at a life lived hard. This reminds me a little of some of the expressionist printmakers, like Kirchner or Heckel, who were also grappling with ways to convey intense emotion through a very physical process. Art’s this ongoing conversation, right? Reiner’s adding his own voice, his own way of seeing and feeling the world. And it's not about answers, it's about the questions.