Life Boat c. 1942

Edward Hagedorn made this print called 'Life Boat', and the contrast between light and dark really grabs you, doesn't it? The way the marks are made feels so intuitive. If you look closely, you can see these tiny, almost frantic lines creating this stormy sky, while the boat itself is solid, a dark mass against the chaos. Notice how the texture of the lines gives a sense of movement to the sky and water, like everything's being pulled in different directions, whereas the boat is still, almost like a fortress. It reminds me a little of some of the woodcuts of artists from the early 20th century, maybe someone like Max Beckmann, but with its own very particular sensibility. Hagedorn's print invites you to feel the push and pull between safety and uncertainty, stillness and movement, in this very stark and compelling way.